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THE 


BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 


HIS     NAME     SHALL    BE     CALLED    WONDERFUL. 


BY 

LE  KOY  J.  HALSEY,  D.  D. 

AUTHOR   OF    "  LIFE    PICTURES    FROM    THE   BIBLE,' 
"  LITERARY    ATTRACTIONS,"    ETC. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 
PRESBYTERIAN  BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION, 

No.  821  Chestnut  Street. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1860,  by 

JAMES  DUNLAP,  Treas. 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Eastern  District 
of  Pennsylvania. 

STEEEOTIPED  BY  WILLIAM    W.   HARDING,   PHILADELPHU. 


PREFACE. 


The  great  saving  truths  of  the  gospel  ought  to  be 
none  the  less  attractive  because  they  are  old  and  familiar. 
They  are  indeed  only  the  more  precious  because  so  many 
human  hearts  through  all  ages  have  believed  them,  and 
drawn  consolation  from  them  in  life  and  in  death.  The 
story  of  the  cross  can  never  lose  its  interest  or  its  power 
in  a  world  of  sin  and  death ;  and  increasing  millions  every 
day  bear  witness  to  the  truth  of  the  prediction — "  T,  if  I  be 
lifted  up,  will  draw  all  men  unto  myself." 

The  present  volume  is  but  one  among  the  thousand 
attempts  which  have  been  made,  and  to  the  end  of  time, 
will  continue  to  be  made,  to  unfold  the  beauties  of  Im- 
manuel,  and  to  show  forth  that  attractive  power  by  which 
he  draws  a  dying  world  to  himself.  No  mortal  pen  is 
adequate  to  such  a  task.  And  yet  it  is  permitted,  even 
to  the  humblest,  to  approach,  to  behold,  to  admire,  and 
then  to  tell,  at  least  something  of  his  glory.  It  is  in  the 
person  and  character  of  Immanuel,  that  we  find  the  very 
essence  of  our  faith.  He  is  himself  faith's  great  and  all- 
satisfying  object.  We  tell  the  story  of  salvation  just  as 
we  tell  of  Jesus — the  facts  of  his  life,  death,  sufferings, 

(3) 


4  PREFACE. 

instructions,  resurrection,  and  ascension  to  glory.  We 
hope  for  life  and  glory  beyond  the  grave  only  in  propor- 
tion as  our  faith  can  rest  on  him. 

With  such  convictions  the  writer  has  approached  this 
matchless  theme,  and  has  studied  to  unfold  it,  not  in  the 
lights  of  speculation  and  fancy,  but  only  in  that  clear  and 
sacred  light  which  shines  from  the  inspired  pages.  He 
would  seek  to  commend  to  every  dying  fellow  man,  the 
personal  character  of  the  Redeemer,  as  infinitely  the  most 
lovely  and  attractive  object  that  was  ever  revealed  to  the 
contemplation  of  the  human  mind.  But  while  commend- 
ing it  thus  as  containing  our  only  possible  hope  of  salva- 
tion, he  has  sought  to  present  it  in  no  other  way  than  as  it 
has  been  revealed  to  us  by  those  who  "  beheld  his  glory, 
the  glory  as  of  the  Only-begotten  of  the  Father,  full  of 
grace  and  truth." 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  L 

PAGE 

The  Life  and  Charactkr  of  Jesus  Christ 7 

CHAPTER  II. 
His  Birth  and  Early  History 14 

CHAPTER  III. 
His  Baptism  and  Public  Ministry 21 

CHAPTER  IV. 
His  Mighty  Miracles 35 

CHAPTER  V. 
His  Matchless  Instructions 49 

CHAPTER  VI. 
His  Immaculate  Virtues 67 

CHAPTER  VII. 
The  Manifestations  of  his  Glory 82 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Bis  Sufferings  and  Death 100 

CHAPTER  IX. 

His  Resurrection  and  Ascension 117 

1*  (6) 


b  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  X. 

TAGB 

His  Mediatorial  Offices  and  Work 138 

CHAPTER  XI. 
His  Second  and  Gloriods  Appearing 147 

CHAPTER  XII. 
The  Saving  Power  of  his  Gospel 157 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Becapithlation  and  Conclusion 195 


THE  BEAUTY  OF  IMMANUEL. 


HIS    NAME    SHALL    BE    CALLED   WONDERFUL. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE   LIFE   AND    CHARACTER   OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

From  all  the  characters  portrayed  in  the  Bible 
or  exemplified  in  human  history,  it  is  a  sublime  as- 
cent to  that  of  Jesus  Christ.  In  a  former  volume* 
it  has  been  our  aim  to  trace  the  streams  of  holy  in- 
fluence, so  grand  and  beautiful,  as  they  flowed  forth 
over  all  the  ancient  world,  in  the  lives  of  heroes  and 
sages,  kings  and  statesmen,  prophets  and  apostles. 
We  must  now  rise  to  the  fountain  head.  We  have 
been  gazing  on  the  stars  of  the  greater  and  the  lesser 
magnitudes,  as  for  four  thousand  years  they  rose  and 
set  in  the  mighty  firmament ;  we  must  now  behold  the 
bright  beams  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  as  he 
rises  to  set  no  more,  in  the  clear  and  perfect  day  of 
a  finished  apocalypse.  All  that  was  lovely  and  of 
good  report  in  these  diversified  characters  of  four 
thousand  years,  was  but  a  preparation  of  the  mind 

♦  "Life  Pictures  from  the  Bible." 

(7) 


8  THE   BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

of  man  for  the  unfolding  of  that  one  perfect  char- 
acter, to  which  they  all  in  a  manner  pointed,  and 
from  which  they  had  in  fact  by  anticipation  bor- 
rowed all  their  brightness.  For  it  is  not  more  cer- 
tain that  human  hearts  began  to  be  inspired  with 
elevating  hopes  by  that  first  promise  in  Eden  of  a 
Saviour  to  come,  than  it  is  that  human  character 
began  to  be  moulded  to  forms  of  greatness  and 
beauty  by  the  conception,  dim  and  shadowy  as  it 
may  have  been  at  first,  of  God  manifest  in  the 
flesh.  So  that  we  must  regard  the  character  of  Im- 
manuel,  not  only  as  sending  down  its  influences 
over  the  eighteen  centuries  that  have  followed,  but 
as  throwing  back  its  rays  to  the  very  gates  of  the 
primeval  paradise,  and  giving  a  brighter  glow  to 
every  saintly  and  heroic  character  that  adorned 
the  patriarchal  and  prophetic  ages. 

They  all  rejoiced  to  see  his  day,  though  afar  off": 
and  they  were  enabled  to  shine  as  lights  in  a  dark 
world,  because  they  were  themselves  illuminated  by 
faith  in  a  God  incarnate — even  that  glorious  living 
Redeemer  of  whom  Job  spoke,  who  should  stand  in 
the  latter  day  upon  the  earth. 

Regarded  simply  in  a  literary  and  historical  point 
of  view,  the  character  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  the 
wonder  and  the  study  of  all  ages.  Regarded  only 
in  that  light,  it  would  be  the  greatest  enigma  that 
ever  appeared  in  the  annals  of  man.  Taking  his 
life  and  actions  as  recorded  in  the  New  Testament. 
and  looking  upon  him  merely  as  we  would  any  other 


LIFE   AND    CHARACTER   OF   JESUS   CHRIST.         9 

historical  personage,  aside  from  any  claim  to  a  su- 
pernatural mission  and  a  Divine  nature  ;  we 
have  both  a  career  and  a  character,  to  which  there 
is  nothing  in  the  past  history  of  our  race  that  af- 
fords the  slightest  parallel,  and  for  which  nothing 
in  any  of  the  known  elements  of  human  nature 
oifers  the  slightest  solution.  It  is  not  only  unique 
and  original:  it  is  infinitely  the  most  unique  and 
original  thing  that  has  ever  been  seen  on  earth.  It 
is  such  an  originality,  as  the  forty  centuries  which 
went  before,  though  constantly  foretelling  it, 
never  produced;  and  the  eighteen  that  have  fol- 
lowed, have  never  found  a  duplicate.  In  the  pro- 
gress of  nearly  six  thousand  years,  it  has  appeared 
but  once ;  and  with  all  man's  improvement  and 
vaunted  approaches  to  perfection,  there  is  not  the 
slightest  probability  that  it  will  ever  appear  again, 
until  He  shall  appear  according  to  his  promise.  It 
is  not  more  certain,  that  there  is  one  God  only  over 
universal  nature,  than  it  is,  that  there  is  but  one 
Jesus  Christ  in  all  history.  Simply  as  a  man,  he 
stands  at  an  infinite  distance  from  every  other  man 
of  our  race:  even  as  the  Bible  says,  "holy,  harm- 
less, undefiled,  and  separate  from  sinners." 

It  is  said  that  the  great  masters  of  painting  and 
statuary,  in  embodying  their  highest  conception  of 
perfection  in  the  "human  form  divine,"  do  not  take 
the  idea  from  any  one  living  man,  but  from  a  thou- 
sand different  subjects — combining  the  beauty  and 
the  strength  and  all  the  manly  virtues  of  each,  into  one 


10  THE   BEAUTY    OF   IMMANUEL. 

symmetrical  and  glorious  form.  But  the  character 
of  Jesus  Christ  was  not  the  result  of  any  such  com- 
bination as  this.  It  is  most  true  that  it  was  gradu- 
ally unfolded  in  all  the  prophecies,  through  a  period 
of  four  thousand  years,  brighter  and  brighter 
glimpses  of  it  being  caught  from  age  to  age,  and 
even  impersonated  in  those  great  characters  which 
typified  his  own  ;  but  then  it  was  not  unfolded  by 
man  working  upon  man,  and  adding  the  excellen- 
ces of  a  Cicero  to  those  of  a  Socrates,  or  even  the 
higher  virtues  of  a  Moses  to  those  of  a  Paul,  but 
by  God  himself  revealing  a  pattern  of  moral  beauty 
from  the  skies,  and  thus  giving  the  world  assurance 
of  a  style  of  humanity,  which  had  otherwise  never 
been  known  to  man.  For  certain  it  is,  that  the 
great  masters  of  this  world's  wisdom,  who  through 
sixty  centuries  have  been  working  upon  man  outside 
of  the  Bible,  and  independently  as  they  think  of 
its  aid,  have  never,  by  any  blending  of  the  virtues 
of  the  great,  or  otherwise,  produced  even  in  fiction, 
such  a  character  as  the  Christ  of  the  old  Testament 
prophets,  and  the  Christ  of  the  New  Testament 
history. 

But  it  is  not  merely  in  a  literary  and  historical 
point  of  view,  that  we  now  propose  to  contemplate 
his  wonderful  character.  It  is  in  the  full  light  of 
all  the  Scriptures,  both  of  the  Old  Testament  and 
the  New,  that  we  must  estimate  his  character.  We 
are  not  at  liberty  to  ignore  any  part  of  the  work 
and  revelation  of  God.     If  we  admit  the  Christ  of 


LIFE   AND    CHARACTER    OP    JESUS    CHRIST.      11 

history  at  all,  we  must  admit  the  whole  Christ  of 
revelation.  The  moment  we  behold  the  veritable 
living  man  Christ  Jesus,  we  are  bound  to  recognize 
and  adore  all  that  belonged  to  him  and  marked  him 
as  something  more  than  a  man.  His  whole  charac- 
ter— his  whole  august  and  mysterious  nature,  human 
and  divine — stands  before  us  as  distinctly  in  the  Bi- 
ble, as  any  living  personage  was  ever  revealed  to 
the  eyes  or  the  conceptions  of  men.  It  is  Jesus  Imman- 
uel  who  is  the  burden  of  all  the  Scriptures.  It  is 
not  one  like  Abraham,  or  Moses,  or  David,  or 
Daniel,  or  John  the  Baptist :  but  one,  the  latchet 
of  whose  shoes  they  were  not  worthy  to  unloose: 
not  a  helpless  sinner  of  our  race  like  the  greatest 
of  these,  but  one  who  is  the  Saviour  of  every  sin- 
ner of  the  race  who  will  trust  in  him :  one,  dwell- 
ing indeed  in  human  form,  like  unto  his  brethren 
the  sons  of  men,  but  in  whom  dwelleth  all  the  ful- 
ness of  the  Godhead  bodily.  If  it  is  the  child  of 
Bethlehem,  the  son  of  Joseph,  the  man  of  Naza- 
reth, the  sufferer  of  Calvary,  who  is  called  Jesus ; 
let  us  not  forget  that  it  is  the  Wonderful,  the  Coun- 
sellor, the  mighty  God,  the  everlasting  Father,  the 
Prince  of  peace,  who  is  called  Jesus.  And  we  can 
no  more  set  aside  one  class  of  the  facts  than  we 
can  the  other.  If  we  take  the  human  and  reject 
the  Divine,  or  take  the  Divine  and  reject  the  hu- 
man, we  do  it  at  our  peril ;  for  in  either  case  we  re- 
ject the  testimony  of  God  concerning  his  Son,  and 
the  only  offer  of  God  for  our  salvation. 


12  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

Now  it  is  remarkable,  that  the  proofs  of  the  hu- 
manity and  the  Divinity  of  Jesus  Christ  are  not 
only  alike  full  and  explicit  in  the  Scriptures,  but 
they  are  everywhere  mingled  together  in  exact  pro- 
portions, and  stated  in  precisely  similar  terms.  If 
there  is  any  point  which  is  made  plain,  and  guarded 
against  the  ingenuity  and  sophisms  of  unbelief,  it 
■would  seem  to  be  this.  How  do  we  know  that 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  a  man  ?  By  his  being  called 
a  man,  and  exercising  all  the  functions,  attributes, 
and  works  of  man.  He  is  called  the  man  of  sor- 
rows, the  son  of  man,  the  child  born — born  of  the 
virgin  Mary,  suffered  under  Pontius  Pilate,  cruci- 
fied, dead,  and  buried.  He  eats,  drinks,  walks, 
sleeps,  feels,  thinks,  suffers,  and  dies  as  a  man ;  and 
therefore  he  is  a  man.  And  how  do  we  know  he  is 
God  ?  Precisely  in  the  same  way.  He  is  called 
God,  wears  all  the  titles  of  God — the  Mighty  God 
— does  all  the  works  of  God — assumes  all  the  attri- 
butes of  God — receives  from  men  and  angels  in 
earth  and  heaven,  the  very  worship  of  God.  He 
is  conceived  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  announced  at  his 
birth  as  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  attested  from 
heaven  as  the  Son  of  God,  condemned  to  death  for 
making  himself  God ;  raised  from  the  dead,  justi- 
fied by  the  Spirit,  seen  of  angels,  preached  unto 
the  Gentiles,  believed  on  in  the  world,  received  up 
into  glory  as  God  manifest  in  the  flesh.  He  speaks, 
acts,  lives,  reigns,  and  triumphs  over  all  as  God ;  and 
therefore  he  is  God. 


LIFE   AND    CHARACTER  OP   JESUS    CHRIST.      13 

Following  the  method  hitherto  pursued  in  all  our 
illustrations  of  Bible  characters,  which  is  to  let 
them  speak  and  act  for  themselves  as  near  as  we 
can  in  the  very  terms  of  the  sacred  oracles,  let  us 
now  address  ourselves  to  this  last  and  highest  task 
— which  is  to  set  forth  a  brief  but  comprehensive 
outline  of  the  life  and  the  adorable  character  of 
Immanuel.  And  may  the  Spirit  of  all  truth  fill  our 
hearts  and  minds  with  some  measure  of  that  con- 
ception of  it  which  inspired  the  undertaking  of  the 
beloved  disciple  when  he  said,  "  The  word  was  made 
flesh  and  dwelt  among  us,  and  we  beheld  his  glory, 
the  glory  as  of  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father, 
full  of  grace  and  truth." 
2 


14  THE    BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 


CHAPTER   II. 

HIS    BIRTH    AND    EARLY    HISTORY. 

We  need  not  stop  to  recite  here  the  wonderful 
story  of  Bethlehem,  which  is  so  familiar  to  every 
child.  Perhaps  nothing  in  all  the  Bible  is  so  univers- 
ally known.  The  shepherds  watching  their  flocks 
by  night,  the  angel  from  heaven  declaring  his  birth 
that  day,  the  multitude  of  the  heavenly  host  prais- 
ing God  in  the  highest,  the  star  pointing  out  his 
birth-place,  the  wise  men  from  the  East  seeking  to 
find  him,  the  babe  lying  in  the  manger  at  Bethle- 
hem, the  gold,  frankincense,  and  myrrh  offered  to 
him,  the  cruel  edict  of  King  Herod,  the  warnings 
from  God  to  the  wise  men  and  to  Joseph,  the  pre- 
sentation of  the  child  to  the  Lord  in  the  temple  at 
Jerusalem,  the  timely  flight  into  Egypt,  and  the 
safe  return  to  Nazareth — all  this  we  have  heard 
from  our  lisping  infancy.  But  though  it  has  been 
told  ten  thousand  thousand  times,  it  shall  never  lose 
its  graphic  power  and  beauty  as  a  narrative,  nor  its 
interest  as  the  opening  chapter  in  the  scheme  of 
God's  salvation.  It  stands  just  where  it  ought  to 
stand  on  the  introductory  pages  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment.    It  is  the  pure  and  crystal  fountain,  spark- 


HIS    BIRTH    AND    EARLY    HISTORY.  15 

ling  ■witli  the  waters  of  immortal  life  for  man,  out 
of  which  the  life  of  the  Son  of  God  on  earth  is  to 
flow,  and  to  which  all  nations  shall  come  to  drink. 
Since  the  creation  of  Adam  no  human  life  had  ever 
had  so  wonderful  a  beginning.  And  now  at  the 
distance  of  eighteen  centuries  and  a  half,  there  is 
to  us  as  deep  an  interest  in  it,  as  to  those  who  first  re- 
ceived the  glad  tidings,  "  Unto  you  is  born  this  day  in 
the  city  of  David,  a  Saviour  who  is  Christ  the  Lord," 
and  heard  the  song  of  an  innumerable  host  above, 
"  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  peace  on  earth,  and 
good  will  to  men." 

It  was  the  fulfihnent  of  those  deep  prophecies  of 
Isaiah,  which  for  eight  centuries  hitherto  had  found 
no  adequate  solution.  "  Behold  a  virgin  shall  con- 
ceive and  bear  a  son,  and  shall  call  his  name  Im- 
manuel.  For  unto  us  a  child  is  born,  unto  us  a  son 
is  given ;  and  the  government  shall  be  upon  his 
shoulder."  It  was  the  beginning  of  the  fulfilment 
of  that  still  more  ancient  oracle  which  had  come 
down  from  the  garden  of  Eden.  "The  seed  of  the 
woman  shall  bruise  the  serpent's  head."  Loud  and 
fierce  has  been  the  outcry  which  modern  infidelity 
has  raised  against  this  simple  and  unvarnished 
narrative  of  our  Lord's  conception  and  nativity,  in 
the  opening  pages  of  the  New  Testament.  But  Ave 
submit  that  such  a  conception  and  nativity  as  this 
is  precisely  the  thing  which  the  ancient  prophecies 
called  for,  and  without  which  those  prophecies,  not 
only  never  have  been,  but  never   can  be  fulfilled. 


16  THE    BEAUTY    OF   IMMANUEL. 

And  we  submit  again,  that  on  the  supposition  that 
those  prophecies  had  a  meaning  in  them  and  were 
ever  to  be  fulfilled  at  all,  by  one  who  was  Immanuel, 
God  with  us,  God  incarnate,  God  manifest  in  the 
flesh,  the  account  of  our  Saviour's  birth  in  the  New 
Testament,  as  one  made  of  a  woman,  "conceived 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  born  of  the  virgin  Mary," 
is  not  only  a  true  and  exact  fulfilment,  but  one 
which  commends  itself  to  our  reason  as  eminently 
befitting  all  the  conditions  and  possibilities  of  the 
case.  It  is  precisely  what  we  should  expect  to 
occur,  and  precisely  the  manner  in  which  we  should 
say  it  ought  to  occur,  if  the  prophecies  of  four 
thousand  years  are  ever  to  be  verified  in  fact,  and 
the  Deity  is  ever  to  be  arrayed  in  mortal  flesh. 
Given  the  fact  of  an  incarnation  of  the  Divine  na- 
ture, and  then  the  fact,  that  the  incarnate  one  is  to 
be  a  virgin-born  child,  and  a  real  man  with  a  true 
body  and  a  reasonable  soul  like  ourselves;  and 
what  other  plan  will  our  worldly  wise  philosophy 
devise  for  its  accomplishment  more  worthy  of  God's 
infinite  wisdom  and  man's  belief,  than  the  one  re- 
corded by  Matthew  and  Luke  ?  "  This  is  the  Lord's 
doing  and  it  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes."  But  so  far 
from  discrediting  the  New  Testament  as  given  of 
God,  it  is  a  confirmation  of  it;  because  it  corres- 
ponds to  every  conception  of  the  Messiah  as  re- 
vealed in  the  Old  Testament;  and  its  very  unlike- 
ness  to  anything  that  man  could  have  done,  or 
would  have  invented,  is  a  voucher  of  its  truth.     A 


HIS    BIRTH   AND    EARLY   HISTORY.  17 

Divine  religion,  conscious  of  the  truth  of  God,  could 
unfearingly  go  forth  with  that  high  and  marvellous 
mystery  on  its  very  forehead.  A  false  religion,  as 
our  sensitive  and  shame-faced  unbelief  shows,  would 
have  shrunk  with  scorn  from  inventing  such  a  story, 
supposing  it  to  be  a  fiction,  and  still  more  from  the 
shame  of  telling  it,  supposing  it  to  be  a  fact.  That 
the  Evangelists  have  told  it,  not  only  without  fear 
or  shrinking,  but  with  exultation  and  joy,  and 
that,  upon  the  very  face  of  their  sacred  books,  and 
in  the  eyes  of  a  proud  and  incredulous  world,  is 
itself  a  demonstration  that  it  is  not  of  men,  but  of 
God. 

It  was  in  the  reign  of  Cassar  Augustus,  the 
Roman  emperor,  that  this  great  event  took  place. 
It  was  a  time  of  peace  over  all  the  world — fit  time 
for  the  advent  of  him  who  was  the  Prince  of  Peace. 
The  temple  of  Janus  at  Rome,  after  the  ceaseless 
conflict  of  ages,  was  now  closed,  as  indicative  that 
the  world  was  at  peace:  and  the  temple  at  Jerusa- 
lem, spared  by  the  haughty  invader,  was  still  open 
for  that  morning  and  evening  sacrifice,  which  had 
so  long  foreshadowed  the  Lamb  of  God,  that  should 
take  away  the  sin  of  the  world.  The  very  fulness 
of  time  had  come — the  prophecies  all  ripe  for  fulfil- 
ment, the  Jewish  nation  looking  for  its  deliverer, 
the  world  at  large  full  of  expectation,  and  the  pre- 
paration of  four  thousand  years  now  completed. 
Thus  at  the  precise  point  of  time,  and  at  the  proper 
place,  at  Bethlehem  of  Judah,  and  of  David's  royal 

9  * 


18  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

line,  glorious  still  though  in  obscurity,  and  of  a 
virgin  mother  overshadowed  by  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  under  outward  circumstances  of  deepest  hu- 
miliation combined  with  others  of  unearthly  grandeur, 
was  Jesus  the  Messiah  born.  It  is  no  marvel  to  us 
that  a  child  thus  born  should  be  a  wonder  and  a 
study  to  all  who  saw  him  and  heard  of  him — that 
his  kinswoman  Elizabeth  and  his  virgin  mother  and 
the  no  longer  incredulous  Zacharias,  should  be  filled 
with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  utter  songs  of  joy  at  his 
birth,  that  the  shepherds  should  go  home  glorifying 
and  praising  God  for  all  the  things  that  they  had 
heard  and  seen,  that  sages  from  the  farthest  east 
should  come  to  worship  and  adore  him,  that  the 
guilty  Herod  should  be  conscious  that  the  rightful 
claiinant  of  his  throne  was  born,  that  the  aged 
Simeon  and  Anna  waiting  at  the  temple  for  the 
consolation  of  Israel,  as  soon  as  they  beheld  him, 
should  rejoice,  and  say,  "Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy 
servant  depart  in  peace  according  to  thy  word,  for 
mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation,"  and  that  Joseph 
and  his  mother  should  deeply  ponder  all  these  things 
in  their  hearts.  Had  Abraham  who  rejoiced  to  see 
his  day,  and  the  dying  Jacob  who  told  of  his  de- 
scent from  Judah,  and  Isaiah  who  spake  of  his 
glory,  and  Micah  who  marked  his  birth-place,  and 
Daniel  who  designated  the  time,  been  there,  they 
too,  like  Simeon  and  Anna,  would  have  felt  that  it 
was  enough — this  is  the  Son  of  the   Highest,  the 


HIS    BIRTH    AND    EARLY    HISTORY.  19 

Prince  of  the  house  of  David,  the  glory  of  Israel, 
and  a  light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles. 

From  these  scenes  of  his  early  infancy,  until  he 
was  twelve  years  old,  the  sacred  record  is  almost 
entirely  silent.  After  his  presentation  in  the  tem- 
ple, the  flight  into  Egypt,  and  the  return  to  Naza- 
reth on  the  death  of  Herod,  our  only  information 
is  that  "the  child  grew  and  waxed  strong  in  spirit, 
filled  with  wisdom,  and  the  grace  of  God  was  upon 
him."  But  this  is  enough  to  show  he  was  preparing 
for  his  great  life  work.  We  know  that  his  parents 
neglected  nothing  within  their  power,  for  we  are 
told  that  they  did  all  things  according  to  the  law, 
and  were  accustomed  to  go  up  every  year  to  Jeru- 
salem to  attend  the  passover.  After  all  that  had 
been  communicated  both  by  the  angel  and  the 
prophets  of  the  Lord,  and  after  all  that  she  had 
herself  spoken  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  his  mother 
would  not  fail  to  use  every  means  of  instruction  in 
the  sacred  oracles,  and  to  inculcate  every  lesson  of 
early  piety,  that  this  child  should  be  trained  for  his 
sublime  mission  as  the  Son  of  the  Highest. 

Accordingly  the  Evangelist  Luke  gives  us  one 
striking  and  beautiful  incident,  occurring  at  the  age 
of  twelve,  to  illustrate  how  during  all  this  early 
period  he  had,  indeed,  waxed  strong  in  spirit,  filled 
with  celestial  wisdom  and  grace  divine. 

His  parents,  whom  he  had  accompanied  to  Jeru- 
salem were  returning  from  the  great  annual  feast 
in  the  caravan  of  their  kinsfolk  and  acquaintance. 


20  THE   BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

Unknown  to  them  Jesus  had  tarried  behind.  Miss- 
ing him,  but  supposing  that  he  was  safe  in  the 
company,  (for,  doubtless,  all  knew  him  and  felt  an 
interest  in  so  extraordinary  a  child,)  they  went  a 
day's  journey,  and  then  turned  back  in  search  of 
him.  It  was  not  until  after  three  days  that  they 
found  him.  He  was  in  the  temple,  sitting  in  the 
midst  of  the  doctors,  both  hearing  them  and  asking 
them  questions.  And  all  that  heard  him  were 
astonished  at  his  understanding  and  answers.  Mary 
and  Joseph  were  amazed :  and  she  said,  "  Son,  why 
hast  thou  thus  dealt  with  us?  Behold,  thy  father  and 
I  have  sought  thee  sorrowing."  And  he  said, 
"How  is  it  that  ye  sought  me?  Wist  ye  not  that 
I  must  be  about  my  Father's  business  ?"  They  did 
not  fully  comprehend  his  answer ;  but,  as  if  to  show 
that  it  was  in  no  spirit  of  disobedience  to  them,  his 
earthly  parents,  that  he  had  acted  thus,  it  is  added, 
"  He  went  down  with  them,  and  came  to  Nazareth, 
and  was  subject  unto  them.  But  his  mother  kept 
all  these  sayings  in  her  heart.  And  Jesus  increased 
in  wisdom  and  stature,  and  in  favour  with  God  and 
man." 


HIS   BAPTISM   AND    PUBLIC   MINISTRY.  2X 


CHAPTER    III. 

HIS    BAPTISM   AND    PUBLIC    MINISTRY. 

When  our  Saviour  had  reached  the  age  of  thirty, 
the  time  of  life  at  which  the  Jewish  priests  were 
accustomed  to  enter  upon  their  public  functions, 
conscious  that  it  became  him  to  fulfil  all  righteous- 
ness under  that  dispensation  in  which  he  was  born, 
and  that  the  hour  was  at  hand  for  him  to  be  made 
manifest  to  Israel  as  the  Messiah,  and  to  enter 
publicly  upon  the  discharge  of  all  the  offices  of  that 
great  work  for  which  he  had  come  into  the  world, 
he  left  Nazareth  and  came  to  John,  the  son  of 
Zacharias,  in  the  wilderness  of  Judea,  to  be  bap- 
tized of  him.  John,  surrounded  by  the  ten  thou- 
sands of  Israel,  was  on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan, 
whither  he  had  gone  to  preach  the  baptism  of  re- 
pentance, and  to  fulfil  his  own  high  mission,  as  the 
voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness,  and  the  mes- 
senger who  should  prepare  the  way  of  the  Lord  be- 
fore him.  Knowing  that  this  was  the  immaculate 
Son  of  the  Highest,  and  that,  as  such,  he  could 
have  no  need  of  that  baptism  of  repentance  which 
he  was  sent  to  preach,  John,  at  first  refused  to  ad- 
minister the  ordinance  to  him.     But  being  admon- 


22  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

ished  that  it  was  necessary  in  order  to  fulfil  all  the 
requirements  of  the  law,  he  suffered  it  to  be  so,  and 
thus  publicly  in  the  eyes  of  Israel,  and  in  virtue  of 
his  own  prophetic  and  priestly  office,  administered 
that  solemn  rite  which  marks  the  era  of  the  Mes- 
siah's introduction  into  his  public  ministry,  and  to 
which  he  himself  was  accustomed  to  appeal  as  the 
very  seal  of  authority,  when  the  Jews  disputed  his 
legal  rights  in  the  temple. 

As  a  public  inauguration  of  his  ministry,  nothing 
could  be  more  appropriate  and  imposing  than  this 
baptism.  A  king  in  virtue  of  his  being  of  David's 
royal  line,  a  prophet  and  a  priest  in  virtue  of  his 
being  anointed  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  now  publicly 
designated  by  John,  he  had  both  the  testimony  of 
earth  and  heaven,  that  he  was  the  Messiah.  John 
saw  and  bare  record  that  this  is  the  Son  of  God ; 
crying  to  the  thousands  of  Israel,  "Behold  the 
Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the 
world."  And  he  had  a  far  higher  testimony  than 
John's,  even  that  of  the  Father  and  the  Holy 
Ghost.  That  august  attestation  is  recorded  in  the 
following  words:  "Now  when  all  the  people  were 
baptized  (a  people  thus  prepared  for  the  Lord),  it 
came  to  pass,  that  eTesus  also  being  baptized  and 
praying,  the  heaven  was  opened  unto  him.  And 
the  Holy  Ghost  descended  in  a  bodily  shape,  like  a 
dove,  upon  him,  and  a  voice  came  from  heaven 
which  said.  Thou  art  my  beloved  Son  ;  in  thee  I 
am  well  pleased." 


HIS   BAPTISM    AND    PUBLIC    MINISTRY.  23 

Thus  attested  and  honoured  by  God  and  man, 
thus  endowed  plentifully  with  all  Divine  and  human 
gifts,  thus  consecrated  and  anointed  to  the  sublimest 
mission  ever  known  to  man,  thus  publicly  proclaimed 
to  Israel  by  his  great  forerunner,  and  thus,  while 
the  dew  of  youth  was  fresh  upon  him,  and  all  the 
strength  of  opening  manhood  bounded  in  his  veins, 
did  Jesus  Immanuel  begin  his  woi'k. 

His  first  great  work  was  one  of  conflict.  Its 
arena  was  in  the  unseen  and  spiritual  world.  He 
had  come  to  destroy  the  works  of  the  Devil ;  to  re- 
pair the  evils  which  he  had  wrought,  to  atone  for 
the  guilt  which  man  through  him  had  incurred.  He 
had  undertaken  for  man — he  had  come  to  be  God's 
Advocate  and  man's  Redeemer.  And  so  the  battle 
began  with  the  powers  of  the  darkness  of  this 
world — a  struggle  for  the  mastery  between  the  in- 
carnate Son  of  God,  and  him  who,  from  the  begin- 
ning, had  been  God's  adversary  and  man's  enemy. 
Crowned  with  all  the  glories  of  his  recent  baptism, 
strong  in  the  confidence  of  God's  favour,  and  full 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  our  blessed  Lord  is  led  away  by 
the  spirit  that  was  upon  him,  not  to  the  abodes  of 
men,  but  to  the  deep  solitudes  of  the  wilderness, 
there  to  meet  the  enemy  of  our  souls,  there  to  be 
tempted  of  the  devil.  And  there,  single-handed 
and  alone,  amid  fastings  and  hungerings  which  no 
mortal  flesh  but  his  could  have  endured,  for  forty 
days  he  wrestles  with  the  prince  of  the  power  of 
the  air,  the  god  of  this  world.     We  shall  not  stay 


24  THE   BEAUTY    OF   IMMANUEL. 

to  depict  the  various  changes  of  the  solemn  scene, 
as  it  is  detailed  by  the  evangelists.  Brief  as  the 
sacred  record  is,  and  short  as  was  its  period  of  forty 
days,  it  has  furnished  the  ground  work  of  Milton's 
second  great  epic,  Paradise  Regained.  And  when 
that  conflict  was  ended,  and  from  every  assault  of 
the  tempter,  the  Son  of  God  had  come  ofiF  a  con- 
queror, the  gifted  bard  represents  the  great  battle 
as  fought,  the  victory  won,  the  tempter  foiled,  lost 
Paradise  restored,  and  "  Eden  raised  in  the  waste 
wilderness."  But  this  is  certainly  a  great  miscon- 
ception of  the  work  of  Christ.  The  work  was  not 
finished,  nor  the  great  conflict  ended  with  the  forty 
days  in  the  wilderness.  It  was  but  just  begun,  to 
be  renewed  and  perpetuated  through  his  whole 
earthly  career.  And  so  with  deep  significance,  one 
of  the  Evangelists  tells,  us,  that  "when  the  devil 
had  ended  all  the  temptations,  he  departed  from  him 
for  a  season."  And  then  angels  came  and  minis- 
tered unto  him. 

But  this  first  great  conflict  being  past,  the  next 
scene  of  his  labours  was  among  men.  He  had  a 
work  of  love  to  do  among  men,  as  well  as  a  war  to 
wage  with  the  devil.  Hence  we  follow  him  from 
the  wilderness  as  he  returns  in  the  power  of  the 
Spirit  into  Galilee  ;  preaching  the  gospel  of  the 
kingdom  and  healing  all  manner  of  diseases  among 
the  people.  Through  all  the  cities,  and  in  all  the 
synagogues  of  Galilee,  the  great  burden  of  his 
message  is,  "The  time  is  fulfilled,  the  kingdom  of 


HIS    BAPTISM    AND    PUBLIC    MINISTRY.  25 

heaven  is  at  hand  ;  repent  ye  and  believe  the  gos- 
pel." When  entreated  by  the  people  in  one  place 
not  to  depart  from  them,  he  replies,  "I  must  preach 
the  kingdom  of  God  to  other  cities  also ;  for  there- 
fore am  I  sent."  And  with  such  words  of  power 
and  wisdom,  grace  and  truth,  did  he  preach,  that 
the  people  were  everywhere  astonished  at  his  doc- 
trine, and  followed  him  from  cit}'^  to  city  and  even 
into  the  deserts  to  attend  upon  his  extraordinary 
ministry.  Among  the  important  opening  acts  of 
this  public  ministry,  he  called  and  ordained  his 
twelve  disciples,  that  they  might  be  with  him  to  re- 
ceive his  instructions  in  all  the  mysteries  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  and  that  he  might  send  them 
forth  likewise  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  lost  sheep 
of  the  house  of  Israel.  It  was  also  at  an  early 
stage  of  this  ministry,  that  he  went  back  to  Nazareth 
where  he  had  been  brought  up,  and  on  the  Sabbath 
day  read  in  their  synagogue  that  remarkable  pas- 
sage from  Isaiah  which  was  then  accomplished  in 
himself,  "The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  be- 
cause he  hath  anointed  me  to  preach  the  gospel  to 
the  poor;  he  hath  sent  me  to  heal  the  broken 
hearted,  to  preach  deliverance  to  the  captives,  and 
recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at  liberty 
them  that  are  bruised,  to  preach  the  acceptable 
year  of  the  Lord."  And,  as  he  said  unto  them, 
"  This  day  is  this  Scripture  fulfilled  in  your  ears, 
they  all  bare  him  witness,  and  wondered  at  the 
gracious  words  which  proceeded  out  of  his  mouth." 
3 


26  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

And  yet,  before  lie  was  done,  with  such  pungent 
power  and  zeal  for  God  did  he  preach  the  truth  to 
these  self-righteous  sinners  of  Nazareth,  that,  as  if 
prophetical  of  the  manner  in  which  an  unbelieving 
world  would  in  all  ages  treat  the  messages  and 
ministers  of  God,  they  were  filled  with  wrath,  and 
thrust  him  out  of  their  city. 

It  is  no  part  of  our  plan  to  follow  him  step  by 
step  through  his  whole  public  ministry.  This  would 
require  volumes.  It  was  a  ministry  of  incessant 
labours,  extending  through  more  than  three  years, 
from  his  baptism  to  the  hour,  when,  hanging  on  the 
cross,  he  said,  "  It  is  finished."  It  was  brief,  as 
compared  with  that  of  the  great  body  of  his  ministers 
in  all  ages  of  the  church.  But  whether  we  consider 
its  sublime  beginning  or  its  still  sublimer  close, 
whether  we  consider  the  mighty  manifestations  of 
Divine  power  which  attended  it  from  first  to  last,  or 
the  mighty  results  and  influences  which  have  flowed 
from  it  through  all  subsequent  ages,  it  stands  alone, 
unapproached  and  unapproachable  in  its  solitary 
grandeur.  No  public  teacher,  no  preacher  of  right- 
eousness, by  any  ministry  long  or  short,  ever  made 
such  an  impression  on  the  mind  of  man.  By  an 
unfailing  attendance  upon  all  the  great  annual  feasts 
at  Jerusalem,  by  incessant  journeys  through  Galilee, 
Samaria,  Judea,  and  the  region  beyond  the  Jordan, 
by  public  and  private  discourses  in  season  and  out 
of  season  wherever  he  went,  the  strong  probability 
is  that,  during  these  three  years,  the  vast  body  of 


HIS    BAPTISM    AND    PUBLIC    MINISTRY.  27 

his  countrymen,  as  well  as  thousands  from  other  na- 
tions, had  listened  to  his  matchless  instructions. 
"  The  people  which  sat  in  darkness  saw  a  great  light, 
and  to  those  who  sat  in  the  region  and  shadow  of 
death,  light  was  sprung  up." 

We  have  one  of  his  great  public  discourses  re- 
corded at  length — the  sermon  on  the  Mount — de- 
livered to  his  disciples  and  the  countless  multitudes 
that  had  come  from  all  the  cities  of  Galilee,  Judea, 
and  the  region  beyond  Jordan — delivered  not  in  any 
building,  for  there  was  none  in  the  land  largo 
enough  to  hold  the  people,  but  in  the  open  air,  on 
the  broad  terraces  of  a  mountain.  And  this  is  per- 
haps given  as  an  example  of  the  matter,  style,  man- 
ner, and  surroundings  of  his  ordinary  popular  dis- 
courses. Whether,  therefore,  we  consider  the  deep 
and  thrilling  interest  of  the  doctrines  which  he 
taught,  or  the  words  of  grace  and  power  with  which 
he  spoke,  or  the  mighty  works  with  which  he  called 
attention  to  his  preaching,  or  the  fact  that  both  in 
Galilee  and  at  all  the  great  festivals  of  Jerusalem, 
he  was  always  attended  by  an  immense  multitude, 
numbering  sometimes,  even  in  remote  desert  places, 
four  and  five  thousand  men,  we  must  conclude  that 
there  were  few,  if  any,  of  his  cotemporaries  from 
Dan  to  Beersheba,  who  had  not  heard,  or  had  the 
opportunity  of  hearing  this  great  teacher. 

Now,  in  this  wonderful  ministry,  taken  as  a  whole, 
we  notice  three  great  attributes,  everywhere  prom- 
inent, which  at  once  illustrate  the  character  of  our 


28  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

blessed  Master,  and  present  him  as  a  perfect  model 
for  all  who  would  preach  the  Gospel. 

The  first  is  his  consuming  and  self-sacrificing 
zeal  for  God.  "My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him 
that  sent  me,  and  to  finish  his  work."  "I  must 
work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me  while  it  is  day  ; 
the  night  cometh  when  no  man  can  work."  From 
the  day  in  which  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  was  poured 
upon  him  in  double  measure,  anointing  him  to 
preach  the  Gospel  to  the  poor,  to  his  expiring 
breath  on  the  cross,  his  life  was  one  great  act  of 
consecration  to  God  in  the  work  he  had  given 
him  to  do.  In  this  spirit  his  days  were  spent  in 
incessant  toil,  and  at  night  when  others  slept,  he 
retired  to  the  mountains  or  the  deserts  to  pray. 
When  countless  thousands  were  following  him  from 
city  to  city  all  over  Galilee,  and  depriving  him,  not 
only  of  rest,  but  of  opportunities  for  necessary  food, 
Mark  tells  us,  that  his  friends  went  out  to  lay  hold 
upon  him,  thinking  that  he  was  beside  him.  But 
what  were  friends  and  kindred  to  him,  who  could 
say,  "  Let  the  dead  bury  their  dead,  but  come  thou 
and  follow  me?"  "  I  have  a  baptism  to  be  baptized 
with,  and  how  am  I  straitened  till  it  be  accom- 
plished !"  "  The  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  min- 
istered unto,  but  to  minister,  and  to  give  his  life  a 
ransom  for  many."  "  Whosoever  shall  do  the  will 
of  GcmI,  the  same  is  my  brother  and  sister  and  mo- 
ther." In  this  spirit  he  could  appropriate  the  pro- 
phecy as  true  of  his  whole  ministry :   "  The   zeal 


HIS   BAPTISM   AND    PUBLIC    MINISTRY.  29 

of  thy  house  hath  eaten  me  up."  And  thus  he  said 
at  the  last,  "  Father,  I  have  glorified  thee  on  the 
earth,  I  have  finished  the  work  which  thou  gavest 
me  to  do." 

The  second  great  characteristic  displayed  through 
all  his  ministry  was  his  intense  and  yearning  love 
for  his  fellow-men.  He  beheld  the  multitudes  and 
had  compassion  on  them,  for  they  were  as  sheep 
without  a  shepherd.  But  he  was  himself  the  good 
Shepherd.  He  was  sent  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the 
house  of  Israel.  He  came  to  seek  and  to  save  that 
which  was  lost.  His  great  life-work,  as  it  regarded 
man,  was  to  go  about  doing  good — to  labour  for 
others,  to  suffer  for  others,  to  bear  our  griefs,  and 
to  carry  our  sorrows.  In  all  our  afilictions  he  was 
afilicted.  The  foxes  had  holes,  and  the  birds  of  the 
air  had  nests,  but  the  Son  of  man  had  not  where  to 
lay  his  head.  His  only  home  was  with  the  friend- 
less, his  bed  at  night  with  the  sons  of  the  poor,  his 
daily  work  to  save  the  perishing.  Thus  he  who  was 
Lord  of  all,  rich  in  all  the  treasures  of  the  universe, 
and  thought  it  no  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God, 
emptied  himself  of  his  glory,  became  poor  for  our 
sakes,  condescended  to  men  of  low  estate,  and  with 
a  depth  of  compassion  that  had  hitherto  been  un- 
known to  men  or  angels,  carried  the  offers  of  im- 
mortal life  and  glory  in  his  own  person  to  the 
wretched  abodes  of  publicans  and  sinners.  There 
is  no  trait  of  his  character,  no  theme  in  all  the 
Scriptures,  on  which  his  inspired  apostles  love  more 
3* 


30  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

to  dwell,  than  this  fulness  of  all  Divine  and  human 
love  in  the  bosom  of  Jesus.  "  The  love  of  Christ 
constraineth  us."  It  was  in  his  life,  as  he  healed 
the  sick,  raised  the  dead,  cast  out  devils,  preached 
the  gospel  to  the  poor,  and  answered  the  prayer  of 
the  dying  sinner,  even  on  the  cross,  that  they  be- 
held the  highest  manifestation  of  the  Divine  cha- 
racter, and  learned  the  lesson — God  is  love. 

While  holding  daily  communion  with  God,  such 
as  the  world  knew  not  of,  he  was,  at  the  same  time, 
in  intense  sympathy  with  suffering  man ;  his  soul 
was  all  alive  to  human  want  and  woe  in  every  shape 
and  form.  He  was  touched  with  the  feeling  of  our 
infirmities.  He  looked  upon  us  in  our  lost  estate 
with  all  the  yearning  tenderness  of  a  brother's 
heart.  He  never  sent  the  poor  sorrowing  suppliant 
empty  away.  Through  his  whole  public  ministry 
he  was  never  too  engaged  to  turn  away  from  the  cry 
for  mercy.  Through  life,  and  in  death  itself,  he 
had  a  heart  to  feel  for  sinners,  and  a  hand  that  was 
ready  to  bring  salvation.  Even  on  the  cross  he 
could  speak  words  of  comfort  to  his  heart-broken 
mother,  open  the  gates  of  paradise  to  the  dying 
thief,  and  for  his  murderers  pray,  "Father,  forgive 
them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do."  At  the 
grave  of  Lazarus  he  wept  with  the  weeping  sisters, 
and  over  Jerusalem — loved  and  lost  Jerusalem — 
chosen  city  of  his  God  and  Father — city  of  David 
and  all  the  prophets,  which,  even  for  their  sakes,  he 
would  have  died  to  save — over  Jerusalem,  when  her 


HIS    BAPTISM    AND    PUBLIC    MINISTRY.  31 

day  was  passed,  he  stood  and  cried  in  all  the  bitter- 
ness of  yearning  love — "0  Jerusalem!  Jerusalem! 
Thou  that  killest  the  prophets,  and  stonest  them 
■which  are  sent  unto  thee,  how  often  would  I  have 
gathered  thy  children  together,  as  a  hen  doth  gather 
her  chickens  under  her  wings,  but  ye  would  not!" 
What  a  spectacle  of  love  and  pity  was  that ! 

"  The  Son  of  God  in  tears 

Angels  with  wonder  see. 
Be  thou  astonished,  0  my  soul, 

He  shed  those  tears  for  thee ! 
He  wept  that  we  might  weep, 

Each  sin  demands  a  tear  ; 
In  heaven  alone  no  sin  is  found. 

And  there's  no  weeping  there." 

The  third  signal  characteristic  of  his  ministry, 
was  the  calm,  unfearing,  and  unfaltering  purpose, 
with  which,  from  the  opening  to  the  close,  he  pur- 
sued his  great  work  of  devotion  to  God  and  good 
will  to  men.  His  life,  in  all  its  plans,  purposes,  and 
results,  was  a  perfect,  symmetrical,  and  consistent 
whole.  He  did  all  that  he  came  to  do — suffered  all 
that  he  came  to  suffer.  Though  he  saw  the  end 
from  the  beginning,  and  knew  the  cup  of  suffering 
which  he  must  drink,  he  yet  went  steadily  on 
without  vacillation  or  shadow  of  turning.  It  is 
wonderful  to  notice  how  many  opportunities  to 
change  his  purpose  pressed  upon  his  pathway,  and 
how  many  agencies,  both  of  friends  and  foes,  com- 


32  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

bined  their  power  to  divert  him  from  his  course. 
The  temptations  of  the  devil,  the  opposition  of  the 
wicked,  the  worldly  expectations  of  his  countrymen, 
the  carnal  hopes  of  his  disciples,  the  readiness  of 
the  people  to  crown  him  as  their  king,  the  legions 
of  angels  that  would  have  come  at  his  call — these 
and  a  thousand  other  things  conspired  to  any  other 
result  rather  than  that  which  occurred — a  life  of 
poverty  and  toil,  and  a  death  of  agony.  But 
through  them  all,  and  in  despite  of  them  all,  he 
pressed  his  solitary  Avay  to  the  death  of  the  cross. 
And,  though  he  had  often  predicted  it  to  his  disci- 
ples, yet  there  was  not  a  living  being  in  the  world 
who  seemed  capable  of  understanding  the  grand 
purpose  that  filled  his  own  soul.  There  is  some- 
thing august  and  imposing  in  this  position  of 
solitary  grandeur  in  which  he  stood  even  while 
thronged  by  living  men.  The  evangelists  are  care- 
ful to  tell  us  more  than  once,  that  his  disciples  un- 
derstood not  his  sayings  at  the  time.  And  then 
again  behold  him  in  his  onward  and  unfaltering 
course.  Though  surrounded  by  enemies,  and  by 
dangers,  thickening  and  growing  more  formidable 
at  every  step,  he  calmly  faces  them  all,  and  walks 
unmoved  amid  the  assaults  of  earth  and  hell,  as  one 
who  feels  immortal  till  his  work  be  done.  When 
warned  by  the  Pharisees  to  flee  from  Galilee,  be- 
cause the  blood-stained  Herod  would  seek  to  kill 
him,  his  reply  was,  "  Go  ye  and  tell  that  fox.  Be- 
hold I  cast  out  devils  and  I  do  cures  to-day  and  to- 


HIS    BAPTISM    AND    PUBLIC    MINISTRY.  33 

morrow ;  and  the  third  day  I  shall  be  perfected. 
Nevertheless,  I  must  walk  to-day  and  to-morrow 
and  the  day  (that  is  year)  following  ;  for  it  cannot 
be  that  a  prophet  perish  out  of  Jerusalem."  When 
at  last,  assaulted  by  all  his  foes  and  deserted  by  all 
his  followers,  he  stood  calm,  silent,  and  alone  before 
the  judgment-seat  of  imperial  Rome,  and  when  the 
haughty  Pilate,  insolent  with  power,  thought  to 
overawe  and  intimidate  him  with  the  words — 
*'Speakest  thou  not  unto  me?  Knowest  thou  not 
that  I  have  power  to  crucify  thee,  and  have  power 
to  release  thee?"  his  only  answer  was  an  inculca- 
tion of  the  doctrine  of  God's  providence  and  man's 
impotence,  "Thou  couldst  have  no  power  at  all 
against  me,  except  it  were  given  thee  from  above; 
therefore  he  that  delivered  me  unto  thee  hath  the 
greater  sin." 

These  three  great  attributes,  supreme  love  to 
God,  good  will  to  man,  and  heroic  courage  in  the 
path  of  duty,  so  seldom  combined  in  the  character 
of  men,  and  yet  so  essential  to  the  development 
of  the  highest  virtue,  shone  forth  in  the  person  of 
Immanuel  in  all  their  fulness  and  glory.  On  a 
lower  scale,  and  so  far  as  that  which  is  human  may 
imitate  the  Divine,  the  very  same  attributes  adorned 
the  character  of  the  Apostle  Paul,  and  by  their 
combination  made  him  the  greatest  of  all  the  apos- 
tles. And  so  in  all  ages  of  the  church,  those  who 
have  been  called  to  be  partakers  in  the  labours  and 


34  THE   BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

tri^s  of  that  ministry  which  he  so  gloriously  illus- 
trated, have  excelled  in  power  and  abounded  in 
usefulness,  just  in  proportion  as  they  have  trodden 
in  the  footsteps  and  imitated  all  the  imitable  perfec- 
tions of  the  Great  Master. 


HIS   MIGHTY   MIRACLES.  35 


CHAPTER    IV. 

HIS    MIGHTY    MIRACLES. 

One  of  the  most  striking  things  attending  the 
ministry  of  our  blessed  Lord,  from  its  opening  to 
its  close,  was  the  constant  display  of  Divine  power, 
by  which  even  to  the  eyes  of  a  gainsaying  and  un- 
believing world  he  vindicated  his  claims  as  the  Son 
of  God  and  the  Messiah  of  Israel.  These  displays 
were  so  numerous  and  so  stupendous,  that  it  seems 
never  to  have  occurred  to  any  one  of  his  cotempo- 
raries,  whether  Roman,  Greek,  or  Jew,  however  in- 
credulous or  inimical,  to  evade  their  force  by  deny- 
ing their  reality.  That  was  a  device  reserved  for 
the  ingenious  sophistry  of  a  later  age.  All  that 
the  eye  and  ear  witnesses  of  his  own  times  ever  at- 
tempted to  do,  was  to  set  aside  the  conclusions 
drawn  from  them  touching  his  Divine  mission,  by 
ascribing  them  to  some  other  agency  than  that  of 
God.  But  in  our  day,  such  are  the  tactics  of  un- 
belief, that  it  is  easier  to  deny  their  historical  verity 
altojiether,  than  to  trust  them  into  the  hands  of  an 
inexorable  logic,  whose  demands  are  infinitely 
better  satisfied  with  the  solution  of  the  agency 
of  God  than  with  any  other  sol  ition  whatsoever. 


'36  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

King  Herod,  when  he  heard  of  these  things, 
accounted  for  them  by  saying,  "It  is  John  the 
Baptist,  who  is  risen  from  the  dead ;  therefore 
mighty  works  do  show  forth  themselves  in  him." 
The  Pharisees  who  beheld  them,  said:  "This  man 
casteth  out  devils  by  Beelzebub  the  prince  of  the 
devils."  The  Roman  centurion,  who  had  gone 
through  all  the  wonders  of  the  cross  and  the  sepul- 
chre, could  draw  no  other  conclusion,  than  that  this 
was  "truly  the  Son  of  God."  Nicodemus,  a  master 
in  Israel,  had  arrived  at  the  same  conclusion  long 
before :  "  No  man  can  do  these  miracles  that  thou 
doest  except  God  be  with  him."  But  modern  ra- 
tionalism, too  proud  to  follow  the  superstitious  cre- 
dulity either  of  Herod  or  the  Pharisees,  and  too 
undevout  to  confess  with  Nicodemus  and  the  centu- 
rion, that  this  is  the  finger  of  God,  seeks  relief 
from  argument  and  an  easy  solution  of  all  the  facts, 
by  denying  that  the  f;icts  ever  existed.  The  solu- 
tion is  short  enough,  and  it  might  ere  long,  perhaps, 
find  admirers,  were  it  not  that  the  facts  have  been 
reported  on  evidence  which  can  never  be  set  aside 
without  overthrowing  the  truth  of  all  history. 

It  is  not  our  province  here  to  enter  upon  the  dis- 
cussion of  this  evidence.  Nor  is  it  needful.  It  is 
enough  to  say,  that  the  facts  of  the  gospel  history,  both 
its  ordinary  and  its  extraordinary  facts,  are  estab- 
lished on  the  testimony  of  witnesses  as  numerous  and 
as  competent  as  any  in  the  annals  of  human  history. 
The  gospel  history  is  a  record  of  innumerable  facts, 


HIS    MIGHTY   MIRACLES.  37 

great  and  small,  occurring  in  the  ordinary  course 
of  human  affairs,  which  no  mortal  ever  thought  of 
questioning,  though  we  know  them  on  the  authority 
of  that  record  alone.  It  is,  at  the  same  time,  a 
record  of  many  extraordinary  or  supernatural  facts, 
including  all  the  mighty  miracles  of  our  Saviour's 
life,  which  no  mortal  would  have  ever  thought  of 
questioning  any  more  than  the  others,  except  for 
their  being  out  of  the  ordinary  course  of  human 
events.  But  it  is  to  be  observed,  that  our  know- 
ledge and  belief  of  the  two  classes  of  facts  rest 
precisely  on  the  same  ground — which,  indeed,  is  the 
ground  of  all  history — the  testimony  of  competent 
witnesses.  For  the  mighty  miracles  of  Christ  and 
all  the  supernatural  events  of  the  New  Testament, 
we  have  as  many  infallible  proofs  and  as  many  com- 
petent witnesses,  as  we  have  for-  all  its  ordinary 
events,  great  and  small ;  because  the  witnesses  and 
the  proofs  are  precisely  the  same  for  both.  The 
historians  who  tell  us  Jesus  lived  and  died,  are  the 
same  who  tell  us  that  he  rose  from  the  dead  and 
ascended  to  heaven.  On  what  ground  then  are  they 
to  be  believed  in  the  one  case  and  discredited  in  the 
other  ?  Nay,  more,  the  world  is  compelled  to 
credit  their  testimony  on  all  these  ordinary  historical 
facts,  because  there  are  other  witnesses  outside  of 
the  Bible  who  avouch  the  same,  and  the  keenest 
criticism  of  eighteen  centuries  has  never  yet  con- 
victed them  of  falsehood  on  any  known  historical 
event.  On  what  ground  then  does  infidelity  set 
4 


38  THE    BEAUTY    OP    IMMANUEL. 

aside  their  testimony,  on  certain  great  facts  lying 
outside  of  the  domain  of  secular  history,  when  on  a 
thousand  things  lying  within  the  domain  of  that 
history,  infidelity  is  compelled  to  admit  that  they 
have  always  reported  the  truth,  and  never  once 
spoken  falsely  ?  Por  the  man  who  credits  the 
general  voice  of  history,  and  credits  even  the  histo- 
rians of  the  new  Testament  on  a  thousand  minor 
points,  and  then  deliberately  rejects  all  the  great 
points  on  which  they  give  their  most  solemn  and 
emphatic  testimony,  the  only  fitting  answer  is  that 
of  the  Master  himself  on  another  occasion  :  "  Out 
of  thine  own  mouth  will  I  condemn  thee,  thou 
wicked  servant." 

But,  as  touching  the  credibility  of  the  miracles  of 
Christ,  it  should  certainly  go  far  to  vindicate  their 
claims,  even  at  the  bar  of  the  most  sceptical  phi- 
losophy, to  consider  the  person  by  whom  and  the 
object  for  which  they  were  wrought.  All  the  parts 
of  the  gospel  history  have  an  intrinsic  fitness  and 
harmony  with  each  other ;  and  its  facts  are  no  more 
to  be  judged  of  singly  and  disjunctively,  than  are 
the  facts  of  Astronomy  or  any  other  science  to  be 
judged  of  out  of  their  connections  and  harmonious 
adaptations.  Now  let  this  principle  be  applied 
to  the  miracles  of  Christ.  And  who  will  deny — 
supposing  it  to  be  possible  for  God  to  display  his 
mighty  power  on  earth,  and  probable  that  he  would 
ever  do  it — that  the  incarnation  of  the  Son  of  God 
was  an   occasion  worthy  of  the   exercise   of  that 


HIS    MIGHTY    MIRACLES.  39 

miraculous  power.  By  whom  ought  signs  and  won- 
ders and  mighty  works  to  be  done,  if  not  by  God 
manifest  in  the  flesh  ?  And  for  what  ends  ought 
they  to  be  wrought,  if  not  that  he,  with  all  the 
overflowing  bounty  of  a  God,  might  pour  salvation 
upon  the  perishing,  and  vindicate  to  men  and  angels 
his  amazing  mission  of  love  and  mercy  in  this  guilty 
world?  Once  admit  the  fact  of  the  presence  of  the 
incarnate  Son  of  God  on  earth,  and  you  have  an 
occasion,  an  object,  and  an  agent,  worthy  of  all 
these  displays  of  Divine  power.  Once  conceive  of 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  as  being  all  that  he  claimed  to 
be,  and  all  the  prophets  said,  and  so  far  from  its 
being  an  incredible  thing  that  he  should  raise  the 
dead  or  do  anything  else  which  God  can  do,  the 
more  he  displays  these  mighty  powers,  the  more 
easily  can  we  believe  in  him.  In  this  state  of  things 
— in  the  presence  of  Immanuel — God  with  us — we 
ascend  at  once  into  a  higher  and  purer  realm  of 
being,  where  miracle  is  the  recognized  law,  and  the 
ordinary  course  of  things  would  be  anomalous  and 
abnormal.  When  God  works,  it  is  easier  for  man  to 
believe  with  miracles  than  without  them. 

Familiarized  to  displays  of  Divine  power,  as  the 
Jewish  mind  had  been  by  the  whole  past  history  of 
the  nation,  it  was  still  filled  with  astonishment  and 
awe  at  the  miracles  of  Christ.  The  amazement 
arose  not  from  the  fact  that  such  works  should  be 
done  ;  for,  on  that  score,  a  Jew  had  nothing  to 
doubt;  but  that  one  who  belonged  to  the  common 


40  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

people,  a  man  without  profession  or  learning,  an 
humble  Galilean,  whom  many  had  known  from  his 
childhood,  should  do  such  works.  Wherever  he 
went  the  people  marvelled,  saying,  "  It  was  never 
so  seen  in  Israel."  When  he  came  into  his  own 
country,  they  were  still  more  astonished,  saying, 
"  Whence  hath  this  man  this  wisdom  and  these 
mighty  works  ?  Is  not  this  the  carpenter's  son? 
Is  not  his  mother  called  Mary  ?  and  his  brethren 
James,  and  Joses,  and  Simon,  and  Judas  ?  And 
his  sisters,  are  they  not  all  with  us?  Whence  then 
hath  this  man  all  these  things?"  Though  this  was 
the  language  of  unbelief,  it  still  shows  how  deep 
was  the  feeling  of  wonder  in  the  public  mind 
touching  these  mighty  works.  The  wonder  was 
natural  enough,  at  least  at  the  first.  For,  on  the 
one  hand,  here  was  everything  in  the  outward  con- 
dition, history,  and  circumstances  of  the  young 
Nazarene  forbidding  the  thought  that  he  could  be 
the  great  Prophet  of  Israel  whose  coming  had  been 
foretold  from  the  first ;  and,  on  the  other,  here  were 
all,  and  more  than  all,  the  mighty  works  that  any 
prophet  had  ever  wrought  by  the  power  of  God. 

The  most  usual  designation  of  these  miracles  in 
the  gospel  history  is  that  of  signs,  wonders,  and 
mighty  works.  The  fundamental  idea  of  the  Greek 
word,  translated  miracle,  is  that  of  i^oiver,  sti-ength, 
force.  Where,  for  example,  Christ  is  called  the 
"power  of  God,"  it  is  the  same  word  which  in  the 
iNew  Testament  is  so  often  rendered  miracle.     These 


HIS    MIGHTY    MIRACLES.  41 

iniglity  works  of  Christ,  therefore,  ■while  they  are 
called  wonders,  as  referring  to  their  eflr«^cts  upon  the 
minds  of  men,  and  signs,  as  referring  to  the  object 
for  which  they  were  wrought,  are,  strictly  and  pro- 
perly, as  referring  to  their  inherent  nature  and 
origin,  powers,  because  they  display  the  direct,  im- 
mediate, and  almighty  power  of  God. 

Nothing  is  clearer  from  the  sacred  narrative,  than 
the  great  moral  purpose  with  which  all  the  miracles 
of  Christ  were  performed.  They  all,  from  the  first 
of  them,  the  turning  of  water  into  wine  in  Cana 
of  Galilee,  down  to  the  last  of  them,  the  restora- 
tion of  the  ear  of  Malchus  by  a  touch  on  the  night 
of  his  betrayal,  had  a  distinct  public  character,  and 
the  same  great  end  in  view.  As  such,  they  all  be- 
longed to  his  public  ministry,  and  formed  an  essen- 
tial part  of  it.  They  were  not  wrought,  any  of 
them,  for  his  own  personal  convenience,  or  the  ac- 
commodation of  his  disciples.  But  from  the  first 
to  the  last,  they  were  all  intended,  even  including 
those  in  which  he  fed  the  hungry  multitudes,  re- 
lieved the  maladies  of  the  sick,  and  raised  the  dead, 
to  manifest  to  Israel  the  presence  and  glory  of  their 
Messiah — to  convince  his  disciples  and  the  world, 
that  he  was  himself  the  anointed  Christ  of  God 
even  in  this  state  of  deepest  humiliation.  And  as 
to  the  number  and  the  glory  of  these  displays  of 
Divine  power,  during  his  three  years'  ministry,  it  is 
manifest,  that  just  enough  were  given  to  answer  the 

purpose  and  no  more.    On  the  one  hand  he  was  not 
4* 


42  THE   BEAUTY   OP   IMMANUEL. 

sparing  of  his  miracles,  when  t\<^y  "vr^re  needed ; 
on  the  clLcr,  he  was  not  prodigal  of  them  where 
they  were  not.  At  some  places  they  were  so  abun- 
dant, that  the  sick  were  conveyed  to  him  from  the 
housetops,  and  there  went  forth  healing  virtue  from 
the  very  hem  of  his  garment.  At  others,  we  are 
told,  that  he  could  do  no  mighty  work  there  because 
of  their  unbelief.  It  is  easy  to  see,  that  one  who 
possessed  the  power  which  Jesus  did,  could  have 
■wielded  that  power  indefinitely.  He  who  could  raise 
the  dead,  in  three  different  instances,  at  intervals 
probably  of  a  year — first  of  a  maiden  just  dead — 
then  of  a  young  man  borne  on  his  bier  to  the  tomb 
— and  then  of  one  dead  four  days  and  buried,  could 
have  opened  every  grave  in  Palestine  and  filled  the 
world  with  proofs  of  his  Godhead.  But  how  then 
should  the  Scriptures  have  been  fulfilled,  and  the 
work  of  man's  redemption  accomplished  ?  It  is 
easy  to  see,  that  while  his  miracles  could  not  well 
have  been  less  numerous  and  glorious  than  they 
Avere,  in  consistency  with  the  vindication  of  his  char- 
acter and  mission  as  the  Son  of  God ;  at  the  same 
time  they  could  not  well  have  been  more  so,  in  con- 
sistency with  that  estate  of  humiliation  and  suffer- 
ing, for  which  he  came  into  the  world.  And  thus 
on  certain  occasions  of  the  brighter  manifestations 
of  his  Divinity,  we  find  him  charging  his  disciples 
not  to  make  them  known  till  he  should  be  risen 
from  the  dead.  More  miracles  and  brighter  visions 
of  his  glory,  would  have  overshadowed  his  humanity 


niS    MIGHTY    MIRACLES.  43 

altogether,  and  defeated  the  great  end  of  his  incar- 
nation and  humiliation.  But  the  great  end  for  which 
all  his  miracles  were  wrought  was  to  convince  men, 
as  by  the  manifest  testimony  of  God  himself,  that 
this  was  his  Son,  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  though 
for  a  season  veiled  in  mortal  flesh.  Thus  John  says 
of  his  opening  miracle — "  This  beginning  of  mira- 
cles did  Jesus  in  Cana  of  Galilee,  and  manifested 
forth  his  glory  ;  and  his  disciples  believed  on  him." 
"  This  beginning  of  miracles,"  says  Trench,  "is 
as  truly  an  introduction  to  all  other  miracles  which 
Christ  did,  as  the  parable  of  the  Sower  is  an  introduc- 
tion to  all  other  parables  which  he  spoke.  No  other 
miracle  would  have  had  so  much  in  it  of  prophecy, 
would  have  served  as  so  fit  an  inauguration  to  the 
whole  future  work  of  the  Son  of  God.  For  that 
work  might  be  characterized  throughout  as  an  en- 
nobling of  the  common,  and  a  transmutincr  of  the 
mean — a  turning  of  the  water  of  earth  into  the 
wine  of  heaven."  It  is  a  little  remarkable  that  the 
whole  number  of  reported  and  minutely  recorded 
miracles  in  the  life  of  Jesus  should  so  nearly  cor- 
respond Avith  the  number  of  his  parables.  The  par- 
ables, as  enumerated  by  Trench,  are  thirty ;  while 
the  miracles,  including  the  one  at  the  sea  of  Tibe- 
rias after  his  resurrection,  are  thirty-three.  These 
are,  in  both  cases,  such  only  as  the  Evangelists  have 
singled  out  from  a  countless  multitude  and  recorded 
at  length,  as  examples  of  all  the  rest.  For  they 
tell  us  that  Jesus  healed  all  manner  of  sicknesses 


44  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL.  ^^"-^ 

and  diseases  among  the  people,  and  did  many  other 
signs  in  the  presence  of  his  disciples,  which  are  not 
recorded  by  them,  and  could  not  be  without  filling 
the  world  with  books. 

This  abundant  manifestation  of  miraculous  powers 
was  looked  upon  by  the  people,  as  one  of  the  infal- 
lible proofs  of  Messiahship.  On  a  certain  occasion, 
when  the  question  was  raised,  whether  Jesus  were 
the  Christ,  we  find  some  asking,  as  if  to  put  the 
matter  beyond  all  doubt,  "  When  Christ  cometh, 
will  he  do  more  miracles  than  those  which  this  man 
hath  done?"  This  is  an  incidental  indication  of 
the  multitude  of  his  mighty  works.  But  there  are 
many  similar  indications.  For  example,  Luke 
mentions  the  case  of  a  poor  sick  woman,  who  was 
healed  by  merely  touching  the  border  of  his  gar- 
ment ;  and  Mark  gives  us  the  following  record 
— "And  whithersoever  he  entered  into  any  villages 
or  cities  or  country,  they  laid  the  sick  in  the  streets, 
and  besought  him  that  they  might  touch,  if  it  were 
but  the  border  of  his  garment;  and  as  many  as 
touched  him  were  made  whole."  What  an  amazing 
manifestation  of  his  fulness  of  Divine  power  was 
this,  that  the  sick  who  thronged  his  pathway  had 
but  to  touch  his  clothing  in  faith,  in  order  to  receive 
that  healing  virtue  which  went  out  of  him  !  Who 
can  imagine  any  higher  credentials  of  the  presence 
of  the  incarnate  Deity  than  such  trophies  of  his 
healing  power  ?  And  once  admit  that  he  exercised 
such  power,  and  who  does  not  see  how  natural  are 


HIS    MIGHTY    MIRACLES.  45 

all  the  recorded  fiicts  of  the  myriads  upon  myriads 
who  left  every  thing  to  follow  him,  not  only  from 
city  to  city,  but  across  the  sea  and  into  the  barren 
deserts  ? 

His  prominent,  and  so  to  speak,  representative 
miracles,  are  the  following :  The  water  made  wine, 
the  healing  of  the  nobleman's  son,  the  first  miracu- 
lous draught  of  fishes,,  the  stilling  of  the  tempest, 
the  demoniacs  in  the  country  of  the  Gadarenes,  the 
raising  of  Jairus'  daughter,  the  woman  with  an 
issue  of  blood,  the  opening  of  the  eyes  of  two  blind 
in  the  house,  the  healing  of  the  paralytic,  the  clean- 
sing of  the  leper,  the  healing  of  the  centui'ion's  ser- 
vant, the  demoniac  in  the  synagogue  of  Capernaum, 
the  healing  of  Simon's  wife's  mother,  the  raising  of 
the  widow's  son,  the  healing  of  the  impotent  man 
at  Bethesda,  the  miraculous  feeding  of  five  thou- 
sand, the  walking  on  the  sea,  the  opening  of  the 
eyes  of  one  born  blind,  the  restoring  of  a  man  with 
a  withered  hand,  the  woman  with  the  spirit  of  in- 
firmity, the  healing  of  a  man  with  a  dropsy,  the 
cleansing  of  the  ten  lepers,  the  healing  of  the 
daughter  of  the  Syrophenician  woman,  the  healing 
of  one  deaf  and  dumb,  the  miraculous  feeding  of 
four  thousand,  the  opening  of  the  eyes  of  one  blind 
at  Bethsaida,  the  healing  of  the  lunatic  child,  the 
money  in  the  fish's  mouth,  the  raising  of  Lazarus, 
the  opening  of  the  eyes  of  two  blind  men  near  Jer- 
icho,  the   withering  of  the   fruitless   fig    tree,   the 


46  THE    BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

liealing  of  Malclius's  ear,  and  the  second  miraculous 
draught  of  fishes. 

In  this  long  list  it  is  striking  to  notice,  first,  the 
vast  variety  of  subjects  on  which  our  Lord  exerted 
his  almighty  power.  They  Avere  such  as  to  show 
his  absolute  mastei-y  over  the  whole  realm  of  nature, 
animate  and  inanimate,  physical  and  spiritual. 
Not  only  the  elements  of  matter,  but  the  spirits  of 
living  men  and  the  powers  of  the  invisible  world 
were  subject  to  his  control.  Not  only  the  winds 
and  the  waves  obeyed  him,  but  the  very  laws  of 
matter  were  reversed,  or  new  properties  created  at 
his  command ;  the  water  became  wine,  the  sea 
solid  beneath  his  feet,  the  loaves  and  fishes  mul- 
tiplied into  food  for  thousands,  the  living  fig  tree 
died  at  his  word,  and  a  fish  from  the  deep  brought 
him  tribute  money.  And  not  only  diseases  of  the 
body,  and  defects  of  its  organs  existing  from  birth, 
but  the  deeper  maladies  of  the  mind  and  spirit,  all 
departed  at  his  bidding.  And  further  still,  as  if 
this  were  not  enough  to  show  the  range  of  his 
power,  the  demons  of  darkness  fled  from  their  long 
fettered  victims  at  his  approach,  and  in  three  well- 
attested  instances  the  disembodied  spirit  came  back 
to  its  tabernacle  of  clay,  and  the  tomb  gave  up  its 
dead.  If  the  problem  were  whether  this  is  the  Son 
of  God,  and  the  trial  had  to  be  made  again  in  the 
face  of  all  the  universe,  and  we  were  called  upon  to  fix 
upon  thirty  or  more  diiferent  cases  or  occasions,  which 
should  be  the  tests  of  Almighty  power,  and  proofs 


HIS    MIGHTY    MIRACLES.  47 

of  a  present  Deity,  we  cannot  imagine  any  thirty 
cases  more  to  the  point,  and  more  utterly  beyond 
the  power  of  all  the  men  in  the  universe  to  do,  than 
precisely  those  things  which  Jesus  did.  For  the 
very  least  of  them  involved  a  power  as  impossible 
to  man  as  the  creation  of  a  world. 

But  there  is  a  second  feature  pervading  these 
mighty  works,  as  remarkable  as  their  infinite  range 
of  power.  It  is  their  character  of  benevolence  and 
mercy.  In  this  they  differ  greatly  from  many  of 
the  miracles  of  the  ancient  dispensation.  The 
miracles  of  Moses,  of  Joshua,  of  Samuel,  of  Elijah, 
and  all  the  prophets,  while  vindicating  the  truth  of 
God,  were  oftentimes  visitations  of  awful  judgment 
and  destruction.  Not  so  the  mighty  works  of 
Christ.  They  are  a  mirror  to  reflect  all  the  milder 
glories  of  Immanuel's  character  as  well  as  to  assert 
his  Divinity.  If  we  had  nothing  but  his  miracles 
to  judge  from,  we  should  have  enough  to  show  that 
God  is  love,  and  that  his  mission  was  one  of  infinite 
grace  and  mercy  to  our  ruined  race.  For  besides 
their  higher  purpose,  which  was  to  glorify  God  by 
vindicating  the  Divine  mission  of  his  well-beloved 
Son,  they  all,  with  a  few  exceptions,  such  as  the 
tribute  money  and  the  barren  fig  tree,  were  selected 
with  another  end  in  view,  Avhich  was  to  display 
the  deep  compassion  of  Immanuel's  love,  as  the 
Friend  of  the  friendless  and  the  Saviour  of  sinners. 
Hence,  if  we  look  over  this  list,  we  shall  find  that 
they  are  mostly  miracles   of    charity  and    mercy, 


48  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

■wrought  for  the  healing  and  the  consolation  of  the 
poor,  the  sick,  the  outcast,  the  perishing — the 
wretched  sons  and  daughters  of  affliction,  for  -whom 
this  world  could  do,  and  cared  to  do,  nothing. 
More  than  two  thirds  of  them  are  cases  of  healing 
and  restoration — and  that  too  of  a  character  so  ag- 
gravated as  to  lie  utterly  beyond  the  power  of  hu- 
man aid.  Eight  of  them  are  cases  in  which  the  Son 
of  God  exerted  his  mighty  power,  either  at  the  so- 
licitation or  for  the  relief  of  some  poor,  suffering, 
and  sorrowing  woman.  One  of  them  was  the  hum- 
ble Syrophenician  woman  who  could  not  claim  even 
to  belong  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel, 
and  yet  did  not  depart  without  his  blessing. 

Now,  if  we  bear  in  mind  that  these  recorded  cases 
of  the  New  Testament  are  given  but  as  examples 
of  all  the  other  unnumbered  signs,  wonders,  and 
mighty  works  which  Jesus  exhibited  during  his  whole 
public  ministry,  we  shall  be  constrained  to  confess, 
that  they  furnish  a  demonstration  both  of  his  Divine 
power  and  his  superhuman  excellence  of  character, 
which  is  absolutely  perfect.  And  so  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  appeal  to  them,  when  the  Jews  demanded 
proof  of  his  being  the  Chri#t,  "The  works  that  I 
do  in  my  Father's  name,  they  bear  witness  of  me." 


HIS   MATCHLESS    INSTRUCTIONS.  49 


CHAPTER    V. 

HIS    MATCHLESS    INSTRUCTIONS. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  say  which  is  the  more  re- 
markable of  the  two,  and  Avhich  contains  a  fuller 
revelation  of  the  character  of  Immanuel — his  mighty 
works  or  the  words  of  grace  and  truth  which  he 
spake.  The  conclusion  of  Nicoderaus  would  be 
equally  applicable  in  both  cases — No  man  can  do 
these  miracles,  or  utter  these  words,  except  God  be 
with  him.  If  the  one  is  the  vindication  of  his  om- 
nipotent power,  the  other  is  the  proof  of  his  infinite 
wisdom.  His  works  and  his  words  alike  declare  his 
glory.  The  two  are  constantly  interwoven  through 
the  whole  course  of  his  public  ministry ;  and  while 
they  mutually  shed  light  upon  each  other,  they  pour 
their  united  radiance  over  his  whole  person  and 
character  as  the  great  Teacher — the  only  begotten 
of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth. 

From  frequent  indications  given  in  the  evangelical 
history,  it  would  seem  that  the  astonishment  every- 
where produced  upon  the  multitude  by  his  mighty 
works,  was  but  the  counterpart  of  the  profound  and 
universal  admiration  inspired  by  his  wonderful  in- 
structions and  manner  of  teaching.  '^  The  common 
5 


50  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

people  heard  lilm  gladly."  "  They  were  astonished 
at  his  doctrine,  for  he  taught  them  as  one  having 
authority  and  not  as  the  Scribes."  "About  the 
midst  of  the  feast,  Jesus  went  up  into  the  temple 
and  taught,  and  the  Jews  marvelled,  saying.  How 
knoweth  this  man  letters,  having  never  learned  ?" 
"  All  bare  him  witness  and  wondered  at  the  gracious 
words  which  proceeded  out  of  his  mouth."  Such 
are  the  terms  in  which  the  impression  of  his  teach- 
ing on  the  public  mind  is  described.  And  so  we 
find  the  multitudes  following  him,  with  unabated  in- 
terest, through  his  whole  public  career,  not  more  to 
behold  his  mighty  works  than  to  listen  to  his  match- 
less instructions.  Well,  indeed,  they  might ;  for, 
though,  as  in  the  case  of  his  miracles,  we  have  only 
some  of  the  more  striking  examples  of  his  public 
discourses  recorded,  still  we  have  enough  to  show, 
that  as  a  teacher  he  stood  alone  among  men — 
unique  and  original  both  in  the  .form  and  substance 
of  his  teaching. 

If  we  look  through  the  record  of  his  discourses, 
as  reported  by  three  of  the  evangelists,  the  first  and 
most  obvious  characteristic  we  meet  with,  is  the 
peculiar  form  in  which  he  taught  the  people  and  his 
disciples.  It  was  in  parables.  It  is  true  that  para- 
bles had  been  used  before  to  some  extent.  We  find 
traces  of  them  in  the  symbolical  and  higlily  figura- 
tive language  of  the  Old  Testament  prophets.  But 
no  teacher  had  ever  used  them  to  such  a  degree,  or 
given  them  such  power  and  beauty  as  o\\v  Saviour, 


HIS    MATCHLESS   INSTRUCTIONS.  51 

Anrl  none  has  ever  equalled  them  since.  As  a 
vehicle  of  the  most  exalted  spiritual  instruction — 
as  a  channel  of  conveying  to  the  mind  of  man  the 
deep  things  of  God's  kingdom,  our  Saviour's  para- 
bles stand  without  a  parallel  in  the  literature  of  the 
world.  And  this  is  the  more  remarkable  because 
the  parable  was  a  favourite  form  of  instruction  with 
all  the  Oriental  ancient  nations.  Of  course  he  did 
not  confine  himself  to  parables.  Indeed,  he  seems, 
at  the  opening  of  his  ministry,  not  to  have  used 
them  at  all,  as  we  find  him  speaking  to  the  people 
in  parables  for  the  first  time,  from  a  vessel  on  the 
sea  of  Tiberias.  John  has  not  given  any  of 
the  parables,  though  he  has  reported  some  of  his 
longest  and  most  beautiful  discourses.  We  know, 
then,  that  there  were  occasions,  such  as  the  sermon 
on  the  mount,  and  the  farewell  discourse  of  the  last 
Bupper,  when  he  used  no  parable.  Still,  after  all 
these  exceptions,  it  remains  a  striking  feature  in 
the  public  teaching  of  our  Lord,  that  he  spake  in 
parables.  The  parables  which  have  been  reported 
at  length  in  the  first  three  Evangelists  are  the  fol- 
lowing, as  arranged  by  Trench — The  Sower,  The 
Tares,  The  Mustard  Seed,  The  Leaven,  The  Hid 
Treasure,  The  Pearl,  The  Draw  Net,  The  Unmerci- 
ful Servant,  The  Labourers  in  the  Vineyard,  The 
Two  Sons,  The  Wicked  Husbandmen,  The  Marriage 
of  the  King's  Son,  The  Ten  Virgins,  The  Talents, 
The  Seed  Growing  Secretly,  The  Two  Debtors,  The 
Good   Samaritan,    The   Friend    at    Midnight,    The 


52  THE   BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

Rich  Fool,  The  Barren  Fig  Tree,  The  Great  Supper, 
The  Lost  Sheep,  The  Lost  Piece  of  Money,  The 
Prodigal  Son,  Tiie  Unjust  Steward,  The  Rich  Man 
and  Lazarus,  The  Unprofitable  Servants,  The  Un- 
just Judge,  The  Pharisee  and  Publican,  The 
Pounds.  Besides  these  thirty  regular  parables,  his 
discourses  are  everywhere  enlivened  with  the  most 
striking  similes  and  analogies  drawn  from  the  ma- 
terial world  around ;  and,  in  some  instances,  we 
have  the  higher  forms  of  allegory,  as  in  John's 
Gospel,  where  he  represents  himself  as  the  Good 
Shepherd,  the  True  Vine,  the  Bread  of  Life,  the 
Living  Water. 

Such  was  the  outward  form  of  his  instructions. 
But  there  are  far  more  wonderful  things  in  his 
teaching  than  this.  "  Never  man  spake  like  this 
man, "was  the  report  of  the  commissioned  officers 
of  the  great  Sanhedrim,  when  they  went  back  as 
they  came,  and  assigned  the  reasons  why  they  had 
not  brought  him  as  a  prisoner.  Men  clothed  with 
the  authority  of  the  law,  are  not  accustomed  to  be 
diverted  from  the  execution  of  their  orders,  by  the 
mere  words  of  a  peaceable,  unarmed  citizen.  But 
here  are  public  officers,  sent  expressly  to  arrest  him, 
and  returning  without  him,  not  because  of  the  crowd 
which  surrounded  him,  or  any  manifestation  of  his 
miraculous  power,  but  solely  on  account  of  the 
words  of  wisdom  which  he  had  uttered  in  their 
hearing.  There  was  no  other  reason  to  give,  and 
they  were  not  ashamed  to  give  this,  extraordinary 


HIS    MATCHLESS    INSTRUCTIONS.  53 

as  it  was.  How  profound  must  have  been  their 
conviction  of  his  superhuman  character,  that  they 
could  go  back  to  their  masters  with  such  a  plea  as 
this — "Never  man  spake  like  this  man."  Un- 
doubtedly there  is  to  us  now,  after  the  conflicts  of 
eighteen  centuries,  a  far  deeper  import  in  these 
words  than  the  awe-struck  hearers  of  our  Saviour, 
who  first  uttered  them,  were  ever  conscious  of.  The 
lapse  of  ages,~  by  the  very  failure  to  produce  a 
parallel,  has  but  deepened  the  impression,  that  no 
man  ever  taught  as  Jesus.  If  this  was  true  of  him, 
as  compared  with  all  the  teachers  that  these  Jewish 
officers  had  ever  seen,  or  heard,  or  read  of  in  their 
day,  it  is  not  less  true  of  him  now,  as  compared 
with  all  the  men  of  every  age  and  nation,  who  have 
appeared  in  human  history. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  many  of  the  highest 
tributes  of  praise  ever  bestowed  on  the  character  of 
Jesus,  both  in  sacred  and  profane  history,  have  been 
reluctantly  wrung  from  his  enemies.  Witness  that 
of.  the  devils,  whom  he  had  come  to  dispossess — "I 
know  thee,  who  thou  art,  the  Holy  One  of  God." 
Witness  that  of  the  unrighteous  judge  who  con- 
demned him  to  death — "I  am  innocent  of  the  blood 
.of  this  just  person.  Take  ye  him  and  crucify  him, 
for  I  find  no  fault  in  him."  Witness  that  of  Pilate's 
wife — "  Have  thou  nothing  to  do  with  that  just 
man,"  and  that  of  Judas — "I  have  sinned  in  that 
I  have  betrayed  innocent  blood."  Witness  that  of 
the  Roman  centurion  at  his  execution — "Truly  this 
5  * 


54  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

man  was  the  Son  of  God,"  and  that  in  the  cele- 
brated Confessions  of  Rousseau — "  If  the  life  and 
death  of  Socrates  were  those  of  a  sage,  the  life  and 
death  of  Jesus  are  those  of  a  God."  But  all  things 
considered,  we  do  not  know  that  either  of  these  re- 
markable testimonies  is  any  more  striking  than  this 
confession  of  the  Jewish  police  at  the  bar  of  the 
Sanhedrim — "Never  man  spake  like  this  man." 
They  had  found  him  where  he  was  Avont  to  be,  in 
the  courts  of  the  temple,  on  the  last  great  day  of 
the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  surrounded  by  the  ten 
thousands  of  Israel,  and  proclaiming  the  May  of 
salvation  and  eternal  life  to  dying  men  in  words  of 
grace  and  wisdom,  such  as  Jerusalem,  had  never 
heard  before.  They  listen  with  the  multitude ;  they 
are  filled  with  awe ;  their  own  hearts  respond  to  the 
truth  of  this  message  from  God,  for  they  too  are 
dying  sinners  ;  and,  instead  of  laying  violent  hands 
on  the  preacher,  they  return  to  attest  his  Divine 
mission. 

And  now  while  our  own  hearts  in  willing  and 
adoring  homage  respond  to  this  eulogium  of  the 
great  Teacher,  let  us  ponder  what  it  is  in  his  in- 
structions that  so  separated  him  from  all  other 
teachers,  and  made  him  speak  as  never  man  spake. 

The  first  is  the  subject  matter  of  his  discourses. 
None  before  his  day  had  ever  spoken  as  be  did,  and 
few,  indeed,  had  ever  spoken  at  all  on  those  grand 
themes  which,  from  first  to  last,  formed  the  staple 
of  all  his  public  and  private  instructions.     Multi- 


HIS    MATCHLESS   INSTRUCTIONS.  55 

tudes  of  men  had  in  all  ages  of  the  world  spoken 
more;  and  it  may  be  on  a  greater  variety  of  subjects. 
Aristotle  had  among  the  Greeks,  and  Cicero  among 
the  Romans.  But  they  had  spoken  mainly  of  the 
things  of  this  life ;  their  grandest  themes  were  con- 
fined to  the  present  world.  On  the  great  things  of 
God  and  eternity  ;  of  life,  death,  and  a  judgment  to 
come  ;  of  heaven  and  hell,  holiness  and  sin  ;  of  the 
human  soul  in  its  wants  and  woes,  its  origin  and 
destiny,  its  sense  of  guilt,  its  fear  of  retribution, 
and  its  longings  after  immortality ;  of  the  deep 
wretchedness  and  ruin  of  our  race,  and  the  method 
of  its  redemption  and  recovery — in  fact,  on  all  those 
things  relating  to  God  and  man,  which  the  human 
heart  is  most  concerned  to  know,  Jesus  spoke  with 
a  freedom  and  a  fulness,  possible  only  to  a  teacher 
come  from  God.  On  such  themes  as  the  mysteries 
of  Divine  grace,  the  essential  attributes  of  the  God- 
head, the  doctrines  of  creation,  providence,  and  re- 
demption, of  man's  true  relation  to  God  and  the 
universe,  of  the  way  of  salvation  from  sin,  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead,  the  church  and  kingdom  of 
God  in  the  world ;  and,  indeed,  on  all  those  grand 
inspiring  themes  which  now  for  eighteen  centuries 
have  employed  the  highest  intellect  of  civilized  na- 
tions, Jesus  spoke  as  never  man  had  spoken.  He 
brought  life  and  immortality  to  light  in  the  gospel. 
On  all  these  things,  where  the  uninspired  genius  of 
all  antiquity,  Roman,  Grecian,  Egyptian,  and 
Chaldean,  had  groped  in   utter  darkness,  he  was 


56  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

able  to  utter  heaven's  clearest  oracles,  saying,  "We 
speak  that  we  do  know  and  testify  that  we  have 
seen."  These  things  are  all  so  familiar  to  our 
minds,  that  we  can  scarcely  appreciate  the  condition 
of  the  world  before  they  were  known  or  even  con- 
ceived of.  But  independently  of  the  truth  of  his 
doctrines  on  all  these  ^rand  mysteries,  it  is  perfectly 
manifest  that  he  filled  the  world  with  new  concep- 
tions of  them.  Except  just  so  far  as  they  had  been 
revealed  to  holy  men  of  old,  who  spake  as  they 
were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment Scriptures,  they  were  utterly  hidden  from  the 
human  mind.  The  patriarchs  had  looked  forward, 
by  faith,  and  caught  some  distant  glimpses  of  Ira- 
manuel's  glory  in  the  latter  days,  and  the  prophets 
had  testified  beforehand  of  these  wonderful  doc- 
trines of  his  gospel ;  but  outside  of  the  Bible,  it  was 
true,  for  four  thousand  years,  that  never  man  spake 
like  this  man  touching  these  great  things  of  God. 

Nor  is  this  all.  It  was  much,  in  a  brief  career 
of  some  three  years'  labour,  to  have  opened  a  new 
world  to  the  thoughts  of  men.  It  was  much  to  have 
added  more  to  the  stock  of  human  ideas  than  all 
the  philosophers  of  antiquity  put  together  had  ever 
done.  It  was  much  to  have  advanced  the  revela- 
tions of  God  to  a  degree  of  fulness  and  glory,  far 
beyond  anything  they  had  attained  under  the  accu- 
mulated light  of  all  the  prophets.  And  it  was 
much  to  have  given  the  human  mind,  on  themes  like 
these,  an  impulse  which  shall  but  deepen  and  widen 


HIS    MATCHLESS    INSTRUCTIONS.  57 

to  the  end  of  time.  But,  perliaps  the  most  re- 
markable feature  of  the  case  is,  that  he  so  taught 
all  these  exalted  doctrines  that  the  world  with  all 
its  progress  of  science,  and  all  its  advancing  intel- 
lect, has  never  been  able  to  add  anything  to  them 
since  his  day.  Great  and  marvellous  as  have  been 
the  discoveries  of  science,  and  the  accessions  of 
knowledge  in  every  field  of  the  heavens  and  earth, 
since  Jesus  dwelt  with  men ;  they  all  together  have 
not  added  one  jot  or  tittle  to  those  great  spiritual 
and  eternal  truths  which  Jesus  taught.  On  all 
these  high  and  awful  mysteries  of  God  and  man, 
and  the  universe  in  which  we  dwell,  the  world  stands 
to-day  with  just  that  stock  of  knowledge  which  he 
left  it,  and  no  more,  except  just  so  far  as  his  in- 
spired apostles  have  developed  and  recorded  his  in- 
structions in  the  New  Testament.  After  all  our 
laudations  about  the  dignity  of  human  nature,  the 
advancement  of  learning,  the  spirit  of  bold  adven- 
ture, of  daring  experiment,  and  of  profound  re- 
search, we  stand,  to-day,  in  the  middle  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  precisely  at  the  point  where  our 
race  stood  when  the  incarnate  Son  of  God  pro- 
claimed the  truth — "No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any 
time ;  the  only  begotten  Son,  who  is  in  the  bosom 
of  the  Father,  he"  hath  declared  him."  We  know 
from  him  the  true  w^orth  and  dignity  of  the  soul,  its 
fearful  ruin  and  the  price  of  its  redemption  ;  we 
know  from  him  the  way  to  heaven,  the  forgiveness 
of  sin,  the  life  everlasting  ;  we  know  from  him  that 


58  THE    BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

God  is  a  Spirit,  and  they  that  worship  him  must 
worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  We  know  from 
him  that  God  is  a  Spirit,  infinite,  eternal,  and  un- 
changeable in  his  being,  wisdom,  power,  holiness, 
justice,  goodness,  and  truth ;  and  that  to  see  his  face 
in  peace,  so  as  to  glorify  and  enjoy  him  for  ever, 
we  too  must  be  holy — repenting  of  all  our  sins  and 
believing  on  the  Son  of  God  for  salvation.  This  is 
the  sum  of  all  the  instructions  of  Jesus,  as  a 
Teacher  come  from  God.  And,  as  for  anything  we 
can  learn  from  all  the  teachers  of  this  world  besides, 
God  would  be  as  much  "the  unknown  God"  to  us  to- 
day, as  he  was  to  the  Athenians  when  Paul  preached 
on  Mars  Hill. 

The  next  remarkable  element  in  our  Saviour's 
teaching,  separating  him  from  all  others,  was  the 
tone  of  superhuman  authority  with  which  he  spoke. 
His  peculiar  manner  of  discourse  was  in  perfect 
harmony  with  its  weighty  and  solemn  matter.  One 
great  secret  of  attraction  in  his  preaching  to  the 
astonished  and  admiring  multitudes  who  crowded  to 
hear  him,  was  that  he  taught  them  as  one  having 
authority  and  not  as  the  scribes.  He  clothes  his 
thoughts  in  the  most  attractive  form  of  human 
speech.  His  subjects  were  the  most  important  that 
ever  challenged  the  attention  of  men.  And  he  ut- 
tered his  sayings  with  the  absolute  assurance  and 
authority  of  a  message  direct  from  God:  "Verily, 
verily  I  say  unto  you."  "We  speak  that  we  do 
know,  and  testify  that  we  have  seen" — such  was  tho 


HIS    MATCHLESS    INSTRUCTION'S.  59 

habitual  prelude  of  personal  authority  which  took 
the  place  of  that  deferential  appeal  to  a  higher 
power  with  which  the  ancient  prophets  had  always 
come,  saying,  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord." 

The  common  people  were  tired  of  the  hypocrisy 
and  cant  of  all  their  learned  and  professed  ex- 
pounders of  the  law.  They  had  indeed  made  void 
the  law  by  their  endless  traditions,  and  laid  burdens 
upon  men  too  grievous  to  be  borne.  The  whole 
world  was  in  fact  sick  at  heart  for  something  it 
knew  not  what,  but  something  better  than  it  had 
yet  seen.  Both  Jew  and  Gentile  were  weary  and 
worn  out,  with  the  ceaseless  jargon  of  the  schools 
and  systems  of  philosophy  falsely  so  called  by  which 
men,  then  as  now,  darkened  counsel  by  words  with- 
out knowledge.  Here  was  a  new  and  different 
teacher,  whose  words  were  Yea  and  Amen ;  whose 
words  came  fresh  from  the  heart,  and  went  directly 
home  to  the  heart.  Here  was  one  who  spake  as  the  very 
oracle  and  mouthpiece  of  God.  It  mattered  not 
where  was  his  temple,  or  who  were  his  auditors,  it 
was  always  the  same  voice  of  absolute  certainty 
and  of  Divine  power.  In  the  crowded  synagogue, 
or  the  still  more  crowded  wayside,  on  the  mountain's 
brow  or  on  the  seashore,  in  distant  desert  places,  or 
at  the  great  national  gatherings  of  the  people,  in 
the  domestic  circle  of  affection  at  Bethany,  or  amid 
the  public  courts  of  the  temple  where  he  rebuked 
the  pride  of  chief  priest,  scribe,  and  Pharisee,  it 
was  always  the  same  tone  of  infallible  certainty, 


6P  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

and  of  undisputed  supremacy.  It  was  more  than 
tlie  return  of  the  spirit  and  power  of  Elijah.  It 
was  one,  who  while  stooping  to  men  of  low  estate  and 
even  unto  babes,  yet  ever  spake  with  the  graceful 
majesty  of  a  king,  and  the  conscious  authority  of 
God  manifest  in  the  flesh. 

There  are  three  different  classes  of  circumstances 
in  the  life  of  our  Lord,  w^ierein  we  find  him  speak- 
ing with  this  tone  of  superhuman  authority. 

The  first  embraces  all  those  occasions  in  which  he 
wrought  his  mighty  wox'ks.  These  cannot  be  num- 
bered. But  as  above  stated  we  have  thirty  or  more 
of  them,  circumstantially  narrated,  when  by  a  single 
word  of  power,  he  spake  and  it  Avas  done,  he  com- 
manded and  it  stood  fast.  We  refer  not  now  to  the 
miracle  itself,  but  to  the  authoritative  tone  of  him 
who  speaks  it  into  being.  It  is  precisely  the  man- 
ner of  Him  who  at  the  beginning  said,  "  Let  there 
be  light,  and  there  was  light."  The  eyewitnesses 
themselves  were  everywhere  struck  with  this  tone 
of  supremacy  and  command  in  Jesus,  "What  man- 
ner of  man  is  this  ?  For  he  commandeth  even  the 
winds  and  water,  and  they  obey  him."  "They 
were  all  amazed,  and  spake  among  themselves,  say- 
ing, What  a  word  is  this  ?  For  with  authority  and 
power  he  commandeth  the  unclean  spirits,  and  they 
obey  him."  Here  indeed  lies  the  striking  difference 
between  his  miracles  and  all  those  of  the  prophets 
on  the  one  hand,  his  apostles  on  the  other — that  his 
are   all   performed   in   virtue   of  his   own   inherent 


HIS   MATCHLESS    INSTRUCTIONS.  61 

power,  without  the  intervention  of  other  means  or 
agencies.  "I  will,"  says  he,  "be  thou  clean." 
"Take  up  thy  bed  and  walk."  "Stretch  forth 
thine  hand :  and  he  stretched  it  forth  whole  as  the 
other."  "Daughter,  thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee:  go 
in  peace."  "Damsel,  I  say  unto  thee,  Arise." 
"  Lazarus,  come  forth  ;"  and  he  that  was  dead  came 
forth,  bound  hand  and  foot.  Such  was  our  Saviour's 
manner  of  performing  his  mighty  works.  And  on 
all  these  occasions  he  spake  as  man  never  spake. 

The  second  class  embraces  all  the  occasions  on 
which  he  delivered  his  formal  and  public  discourses 
in  the  presence  of  his  disciples  and  the  multitudes 
of  the  Jewish  people.  Of  these  we  have  remarkable 
examples  in  the  sermon  on  the  mount,  in  his  de- 
scription of  the  last  judgment  in  the  25th  chapter 
of  Matthew,  in  his  invective  against  the  scribes  and 
Pharisees  in  the  twenty-third,  in  the  various  dis- 
courses in  the  temple  at  the  great  Jewish  festivals, 
as  recorded  by  John,  and  in  his  farewell  discourse 
to  his  disciples  alone,  on  the  night  before  he  suffered. 
No  man  can  listen  to  these  solemn  revelations  of 
things  unseen  and  eternal — things  on  which  no 
mortal  tongue  had  ever  ventured  to  speak  thus  be- 
fore— without  feeling  their  awful  and  unapproach- 
able sublimity.  Especially  is  this  the  case  with  his 
last  discourses,  when  we  know  that  their  author,  so 
far  as  he  was  a  man  at  all,  was  but  a  young  man  in 
the  prime  of  life,  expecting  voluntarily  to  lay  down 
his  life  on  the  morrow  for  the  truth  of  his  convic- 
6 


62  THE   BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

tions.  Socrates,  under  somewhat  similar  circum- 
stances, has  been  an  object  of  the  world's  admira- 
tion. But  mere  admiration  is  far  short  of  the 
merits  of  this  case.  No  man  can  read  and  ponder 
the  words  of  Jesus,  without  the  conviction  that  their 
author  stood  in  an  attitude  of  moral  power  and  su- 
periority over  all  the  men  of  this  world,  such  as  no- 
thing could  inspire  less  than  the  consciousness  that 
he  was  either  a  teacher  come  from  God,  or  God 
himself. 

But  if  he  was  the  one,  he  was  the  other.  If  he 
"Was  the  less,  then  he  was  of  necessity  the  greater. 
It  is  a  case  in  which  the  less  involves  and  draws 
after  it  the  whole  truth  of  the  greater  proposition. 
If  he  was  a  teacher  come  from  God,  as  it  is  impos- 
sible to  deny  he  was,  then  he  was  God  himself,  be- 
cause he  expressly  claimed  to  be  God,  and  died  as- 
serting the  claim.  A  teacher  come  from  God, 
whose  whole  life  and  actions  had  been  what  his 
were,  could  not  have  spoken  anything  but  the  truth. 
But  one  of  the  great  truths  which  he  never  ceased 
to  speak,  through  his  whole  public  career  to  the 
very  tribunal  which  condemned  him  to  death,  was 
that  he  was  the  Son  of  God,  that  he  was  equal  with 
God,  that  he  was  God.  So  that  if  the  miracles  and 
the  words  of  Jesus  force  us  to  the  alternative  that 
he  was  either  a  teacher  from  God,  or  God  manifest 
in  the  flesh,  that  alternative  shuts  us  up  to  but  one 
conclusion' — that  he  was  all  that  he  claimed  to  be. 
And  now  to  feel  in  your  inmost  heart,  that  this  is 


HIS   MATCHLESS   INSTRUCTIONS.  63 

the  true  and  only  possible  alternative,  listen  to  some 
of  those  words  which  no  man  before  or  since  ever 
spake  of  himself:  "Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass 
away,  but  my  words  shall  not  pass  away.  Not 
every  one  that  saith  unto  me,  Lord,  Lord,  shall 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven ;  but  he  that 
doeth  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 
Father,  glorify  thou  me  with  thine  own  self  with  the 
glory  which  I  had  with  thee  before  the  Avorld  was. 
Then  shall  ye  see  the  Son  of  Man  coming  in  the 
clouds  of  heaven.  He  shall  sit  upon  the  throne  of 
his  glory,  and  before  him  all  nations  shall  be 
gathered ;  and  he  shall  separate  them  one  from  an- 
other, as  a  shepherd  divideth  his  sheep  from  the 
goats.  All  power  is  given  to  me  in  heaven  and 
earth.  Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations, 
baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of 
the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Lo,  I  am  with 
you  always,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world.  He 
that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved,  and 
he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned." 

When  did  mortal  man  ever  speak  thus?  How 
would  such  language  have  sounded  on  the  lips  of 
Abraham,  or  Moses,  or  Daniel,  or  Paul  ?  Men  in 
their  folly  have  sometimes  talked  of  Jesus  as  a  mere 
man.  But,  leaving  out  of  view  his  miracles,  and 
taking  only  his  words,  the  difference  between  him 
and  every  other  man  is  an  infinite  difference.  If 
ever  there  was  a  mortal  disposed  to  speak  in  a  tone 
of   authority,  and  arrogate   to  himself  all  human 


64  THE    BEAUTY    OF   IMMANUEL. 

powers,  it  was  that  mighty  conqueror,  whose  edicts 
gave  law  to  Europe  and  whose  sword  had  overturned 
her  thrones.  But  Napoleon  never  spake  like  this. 
Even  at  the  meridian  height  of  his  pomp  and  power, 
words  like  these,  or  anything  approaching  them, 
would  have  convicted  him  in  the  sight  of  the  universe 
of  being  either  a  blasphemer  or  insane.  And  with 
reverence  be  it  spoken,  there  is  nothing  that  could 
exempt  the  mere  humanity  of  Jesus  from  the  same 
charge.  It  is  only  because  he  is  God  over  all, 
blessed  for  ever,  that  these  awful  and  superhuman 
words  are  the  words  of  soberness  and  truth. 

The  third  class  of  occasions  on  which  he  showed 
the  same  superhuman  wisdom,  embraces  all  his  pri- 
vate informal  interviews  and  conversations — occa- 
sions when  he  wrought  no  mighty  works,  and  de- 
livered no  public  discourses,  but  appeared  most  like 
a  man.  Witness  that,  for  example,  with  Nathaniel 
in  the  first  chapter  of  John,  and  that  with  Nicode- 
mus  in  the  thii-d.  Witness  the  interview  with  the 
young  ruler,  and  the  one  with  the  lawyer  who 
tempted  him.  See  how  he  puts  to  silence,  in  suc- 
cession, the  wily  deputations  from  the  Herodians, 
the  Sadducees,  and  the  Pharisees,  till  no  man  durst 
ask  him  any  more  questions.  See  him  alone  before 
the  judgment-seat  of  Pilate — the  arrogant  Roman 
evidently  awed  into  admiration  and  fear  by  the  silent 
and  sublime  demeanour  of  his  suffering  prisoner !  To 
my  own  mind,  there  is  scarcely  anything  in  the  New 
Testament  more  remarkable  and  significant   than 


HIS   MATCHLESS   INSTRUCTIONS.  65 

this — that  Jesus  Christ,  through  all  those  scenes  of 
humiliation,  suffering,  and  the  daily  intercourse  of 
life,  in  which  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  appear 
most  like  a  man  and  least  like  a  God,  should  yet  so 
speak  and  act  as  to  make  men  feel  that  he  was  more 
than  man.  From  the  hour  in  which  he  stood  in  the 
midst  of  the  doctors  of  the  temple  at  the  age  of 
twelve,  down  to  that  in  which  he  stood  before  his 
last  accusers,  and  his  final  judge,  there  was  some- 
thing about  him — in  his  every  word,  look,  and  ac- 
tion— which  made  every  one  who  came  in  contact 
with  him,  feel  that  he  was  a  superior  being. 

When  we  mark  that  calm,  quiet,  self-possessed, 
and  yet  authoritative  tone  in  which  he  accosted  both 
friends  and  foes,  that  gentle  yet  uncompromising 
dignity  and  sense  of  superiority  which  pervaded  his 
every  instruction  to  man,  woman,  or  child ;  when 
we  follow  him  to  the  retreats  of  private  life  in  the 
presence  of  his  disciples  alone,  or  in  the  bosom  of 
the  loved  family  at  Bethany;  when  in  these  familiar 
and  unstudied  moments  we  hear  him  say,  "  My 
meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me  and  to 
finish  his  work.  For  I  came  down  from  heaven  not 
to  do  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  Him  that  sent 
me ;"  when  we  hear  him  saying  to  the  sorrowing 
sister  of  Lazarus,  "  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the 
life ;  he  that  believeth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead 
yet  shall  he  live ;  and  he  that  liveth,  and  believeth 
in  me  shall  never  die;"  when  we  follow  him  to  the 
place  of  death,  and  hear  him  answer  the  last  request 
6* 


66  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

of  one  who  languished  at  his  side,  ''  This  day  shalt 
thou  be  with  me  in  paradise,"  we  are  constrained  to 
feel,  that  hever  man  spake  like  this  man.  We  bear 
testimony  with  Nathaniel,  "  Rabbi,  thou  art  the 
Son  of  God,  thou  art  the  king  of  Israel."  For  not 
only  does  he  speak  of  things  men  never  knew  be- 
fore, and  never  could  have  known ;  but,  unlike  all 
the  teachers  of  antiquity,  who  rested  their  instruc- 
tions on  a  foregoing  authority  higher  than  their  own, 
he  speaks,  as  one  having  absolute,  inherent,  personal, 
and  underived  knowledge  of  all  things  whereof  he 
affirms.  His  teaching,  like  his  power,  is  wholly  in- 
dependent of  man. 


HIS   IMMACULATE   VIRTUES,  67 


CHAPTER    VI. 

HIS    IMMACULATE    VIRTUES. 

Nothing,  perhaps,  has  ever  made  a  deeper  im- 
pression upon  the  heart  of  the  world  than  the  com- 
passion of  Jesus.  It  is  a  quality  which  all  men, 
even  the  unregenerate,  have  been  ready  to  acknow- 
ledge and  admire,  when,  perhaps,  they  could  see  no 
other  beauty  in  Immanuel.  Mercy,  compassion, 
sympathy  with  the  deep  woes  of  man,  strikes  a  chord 
in  every  human  bosom,  that  is  not  utterly  dead  to 
all  the  higher  and  better  instincts  of  our  fallen  na- 
ture. Orators  praise  it.  Poets  celebrate  it  in  their 
loftiest  strains.  Good  men  love  and  practise  it. 
Bad  men  do  homage  to  it,  as  the  sum  of  all  good- 
ness. The  man  who  is  ready  to  risk  his  life  to  save 
others,  whose  bosom  melts  with  pity  for  the  poor, 
whose  generous  sympathies  respond  to  every  cry  of 
human  anguish,  wins  not  only  the  approval  of  all 
the  good,  but  even  the  plaudits  of  those  who  are 
destitute  of  the  attribute  they  extol.  The  heart  of 
man  was  made  to  be  moved  by  sympathy.  It  needs 
the  sympathies  both  of  God  and  men.  There  is 
scarcely  anything  which  it  needs  more.  It  cannot 
stand  alone.     It  needs   something   to    lean   upon. 


68  THE   BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

And  hence,  ■whenever  a  true  hearted  Howard  ap- 
pears, braving  danger  and  death,  out  of  that  yearn- 
ing love  which  he  bears  towards  the  perishing,  all 
men  are  ready  to  take  him  to  their  hearts,  not  only 
as  a  brother  but  as  a  very  idol.  This  deep  and 
universal  sentiment  of  admiration  for  philanthropy 
is  vividly  depicted,  though  with  an  approach  to  ex- 
travagance, in  the  lines : 

"  The  spirits  of  the  just, 
"When  first  arrayed  in  Virtue's  purest  robe, 
They  saw  her  Howard  traversing  the  globe, 
Mistook  a  mortal  for  an  angel  guest, 
And  asked  what  seraph's  foot  the  earth  imprest. 
Onward  he  flies — disease  and  death  retire, 
And  wondering  demons  hate  him  and  admire. 

If  such  a  character  as  Howard's,  and  such  a  life 
of  self-sacrificing  good  will,  may  win  a  world's  ap- 
proval— call  down  encomium  from  heaven,  and  ex- 
tort reluctant  homage  from  the  lost — what  ought  to 
be  our  appreciation  of  the  virtues  human  and  Divine 
that  dwelt  in  the  bosom  of  Jesus?  If  we  could  for 
a  moment  divest  ourselves  of  the  peculiar  relations 
in  which  we  stand  to  him  as  a  Saviour  and  a  God, 
and  then  look  upon  him  simply  as  a  fellow-man,  as 
we  look  upon  Howard,  it  is  clear  that  we  should 
even  then  behold  in  him  an  example  of  generous, 
heroic,  and  self-sacrificing  virtue,  which  has  no  par- 
allel in  the  annals  of  mankind.  Even  on  the  score 
of  philanthropy  and  brotherhood  it  has  no  parallel 
among  men.     It  was  a  philanthropy  embracing  first 


HIS    IMMACULATE    VIRTUES.  69 

the  objects  of  love  immediately  surrounding  him — 
his  disciples — and  then  all  his  countrymen,  and  then 
all  the  world.  It  was  a  philanthropy  that  went 
down  to  the  abodes  of  poverty,  of  disease,  of  want, 
and  held  familiar  converse  with  all  its  woes.  It  Avas 
a  Divine  compassion  that  sought  to  save  the  lost, 
the  vile,  the  outcast ;  that  could  eat  with  publicans 
and  sinners,  when  such  companionship  was  not  re- 
garded as  a  virtue.  It  was  a  compassion  which, 
while  grasping  the  wide  world,  did  not  overlook 
even  the  babes  and  sucklings  that  clustered  at  its 
feet.  The  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  ministered 
unto,  but  to  minister,  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for 
others.  He  came  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which 
"was  lost ;  not  only  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of 
Israel,  but  the  lost  of  all  nations  and  generations 
of  men.  For  our  sakes  he  became  poor.  As  before 
remarked,  there  is  no  theme  on  which  the  sacred 
writers  dwell  with  greater  delight  and  wonder  than 
this  infinite  compassion  of  Immanuel — this  conde- 
scension to  the  poor — this  emptying  himself  of  his 
Divine  glory,  that  he  might  come  to  our  relief — 
might  bear  our  griefs  and  carry  our  sorrows — might 
become  our  brother,  touched  with  our  infirmities, 
tempted  in  all  points  like  as  we  are,  yet  without  sin. 
It  is  the  burden  of  the  prophet's  vision.  It  inspires 
the  song  of  the  sweet  psalmist  of  Israel.  It  is  the 
story  of  all  the  evangelists.  It  is  the  meditation  of 
all  the  apostles,  as  they  carry  the  glad  tidings  to  the 
end  of  the  earth :  "Ye  know  the  grace  of  our  Lord 


70  THE    BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

Jesus  Christ,  that  whereas  he  was  rich,  yet  for  our 
sakes  he  became  poor,  that  we  through  his  poverty 
might  be  rich." 

"Aside  the  Prince  of  glory  threw 
His  most  Divine  arraj^ 
And  wrapped  his  Godhead  in  a  veil 
Of  our  inferior  clay." 

"And  being  found  in  fashion  as  a  man,  he  humbled 
himself,  and  became  obedient  unto  death,  even  the 
death  of  the  cross."  His  whole  public  life,  from  his 
baptism  to  the  great  expiation  on  Calvary,  was  a 
life  of  sympathy  with  the  suffering,  and  of  merciful 
visitation  to  the  poor.  Though  he  was  a  man  of 
sorrows,  as  bearing  the  sins  of  the  whole  world — 
bearing  them  onward  to  the  scene  of  final  sacrifice — 
and  though  he  had  not  where  to  lay  his  head  in  the 
world  he  had  created,  and  was  now  about  to 
redeem — yet  was  he  never  known  to  turn  away 
from  a  single  sinner  hoAvever  humble,  and  however 
vile,  of  all  the  ten  thousands  that  sought  his  favour. 

It  has  often  been  noticed  how  the  character  of 
Immanuel  is  illustrated  in  his  life.  The  sacred 
writers  describe  his  virtues  by  simply  narrating  his 
actions.  They  set  before  us  a  succession  of  the 
most  touching  and  graphic  scenes,  which,  far  better 
than  any  words  of  eulogy,  display  his  benevolent 
compassions,  and  the  full  glory  of  his  human  and 
Divine  perfection.  As  his  mission  was  to  preach 
the  gospel  to  the  poor,  to  seek  the  lost  sheep  of  the 


HIS   IMMACULATE   VIRTUES.  71 

house  of  Israel,  to  humble  himself  to  the  ministry 
of  a  servant;  so  of  necessity,  philanthropy,  benevo- 
lence, compassion,  becomes  the  prominent  attribute 
in  this  whole  manifestation  of  his  character.  It  is 
in  the  human  life  of  Jesus,  more  than  in  anything 
else,  that  we  behold  the  love  of  God.  The  only 
begotten  Son,  who  was  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father, 
came  into  the  world,  and  led  a  life  of  compassion, 
not  only  that  he  might  save  us,  but  that  he  might 
thus  reveal  the  love  of  God.  Hence  we  find  all  his 
mighty  works  partaking  of  this  element  of  compas- 
sion— wrought  for  the  deliverance  of  the  wretched 
and  the  outcast,  or  of  the  humble  and  helpless. 
The  very  titles  of  his  acts  of  mercy  are  enough  to 
illustrate  his  character ;  and  the  great  masters  of 
art  have  found  no  higher  study  than  to  reproduce 
the  scene.  Thus  we  have,  Christ  healing  the  Sick, 
Christ  blessing  little  Children,  Christ  feeding  the 
Multitudes,  Christ  raising  the  Widow's  Son,  Christ' 
restoring  Lazarus,  Christ  weeping  over  Jerusalem. 
In  all  these  and  other  similar  scenes  that  make  up 
the  history  of  his  life,  the  grand  distinguishing  at- 
tribute is  mercy.  It  is  the  crowning  glory  of  his 
manhood.  It  is  the  bright  effulgence  of  that  God- 
head, which  shines  out  through  the  veil  of  this  hu- 
man tabernacle.  Nothing  could  be  more  appropri- 
ate than  such  a  manifestation  of  celestial  viitue. 
If  we  had  been  told  beforehand  that  God  would 
manifest  himself  in  the  form  of  a  man ;  that  celes- 
tial Divine  virtue  would  beceme  incarnate  and  dis- 


72  THE    BEAUTY   OF    IMMANUEL. 

play  all  its  brightest  glories  in  a  living,  human 
character ;  and  that  such  a  revelation  was  to  be 
made  for  the  benefit,  and  amid  all  the  sufierings,  of 
our  wretched,  dying  race,  it  would  be  the  dictate  of 
reason,  that  God,  thus  manifesting  himself,  should 
clothe  himself  with  all  those  attributes  of  conde- 
scension, sympathy,  compassion,  and  love,  which 
we  now  behold  in  the  person  of  Immanuel.  This  is 
precisely  the  form  of  virtue  which  such  a  manifesta- 
tion, for  such  a  purpose,  and  in  such  a  world,  would 
demand.  Nor  can  we  conceive  of  anything  that 
could  be  taken  away  from  the  character  of  Jesus 
Christ,  on  the  one  hand,  nor  of  a  single  attribute 
that  could  be  added  to  it  on  the  other,  that  would 
make  its  adaptation  more  complete,  and  its  beauty 
more  symmetrical  and  glorious.  One  shade  more, 
one  ray  less,  would  have  marred  that  absolute 
perfection  which  now  adorns  his  character.  More 
of  the  Divine  and  less  of  the  human;  more  of 
majesty  and  less  of  condescension  ;  greater  displays 
of  power  and  fewer  deeds  of  love,  instead  of  lending 
new  attractions  to  the  cross,  would  have  only  de- 
tracted from  that  matchless  power  and  pathos  by 
which  it  now  draws  all  men  unto  it. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  life  of  Jesus  more  signifi- 
cant of  his  immaculate  virtue,  and  more  in  keeping 
with  all  the  ends  for  which  such  virtue  became  in- 
carnate, than  his  tears.  When  we  consider  who  he 
was,  and  why  he  came  into  the  world,  his  tears  are 
as  indicative  of  his  Divine  mission  and  as  precious 


HIS    IMMACULATE    VIRTUES.  73 

to  US,  as  his  mighty  works.  They  are  the  tokens 
of  his  unspeakable  love.  They  are  the  seals  of  a 
sympathy  in  our  sorrows,  such  as,  without  them,  we 
did  not  know  God  could  feel  for  sinners.  They  are 
the  proofs  of  an  interest  in  our  welfare  which  as- 
sures our  fainting  hearts,  that  He,  who  has  under- 
taken for  us,  is  as  willing  as  he  is  able  to  save. 
And  it  is  striking  to  notice  through  the  sacred  nar- 
rative, how  the  tears  of  Jesus  flow  mingling  Avith 
his  mighty  works.  It  was  at  the  grave  of  Lazarus, 
and  when  in  a  few  moments  the  sleep  of  death  was 
to  be  broken  by  a  word  of  omnipotence,  that  Jesus 
wept.  The  very  scene  which  calls  forth  the  sub- 
limest  attributes  of  the  Godhead — the  scene  of  his 
almighty  triumph  over  death  and  the  grave— is  that 
in  which  all  the  tenderest  sympathies  of  his  immacu- 
late human  heart  are  touched,  and  find  appropriate 
utterance  in  tears.  If  the  war-worn  conqueror  of  a 
hundred  battles  should  be  seen  to  weep  in  the  mo- 
ment of  his  greatest  victory,  it  would  be  but  a  faint 
approach  to  that  power  of  emotion  which  filled  the 
Son  of  God  with  tears  at  the  grave  of  Lazarus. 
"Jesus  wept."  And  those  around,  filled  with  ad- 
miration and  awe,  that  one  who  had  been  known  to 
give  sight  to  the  blind,  should  thus  weep,  said,  Be- 
hold how  he  loved  him !  Could  not  this  man,  en- 
dowed with  such  power,  and  moved  by  sucli  love, 
had  he  been  here,  have  caused  that  Lazarus  should 
not  have  died  ?  The  mighty  men  of  this  world,  in 
the  height  of  their  power,  are  not  accustomed  to 


74  THE   BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

weep  at  tlie  sight  of  others'  woe.  But  Jesus  wept, 
even  in  that  sublime  hour,  when  he  burst  asunder 
the  bands  of  death — wept  responsive  to  the  tears 
of  those  bereaved  and  sorrowing  sisters  who  were 
imploring  his  help — wept  in  deep  and  yearning 
sympathy  with  all  the  sufferings  and  desolation 
which  this  much-loved  family  had  endured  in  the 
loss  of  a  brother — wept  out  of  his  full  and  unutter- 
able love  for  that  poor  dying  human  nature,  whose 
countless  griefs  he  had  come  to  bear,  whose  dreadful 
maladies  he  had  come  to  heal.  Oh  !  it  was  fit  that 
the  Man  of  sorrows  should  thus  weep.  Though  he 
was  the  Prince  of  glory,  the  Conqueror  of  death 
and  hell,  it  was  fit  that  the  Friend  of  sinners  should 
weep  at  the  grave.  Though  he  could  say  to  the 
stricken  hearts  around  him.  Thy  brother  shall  rise 
again ;  and,  though  he  did  say,  with  Divine  power, 
ere  those  tears  of  love  were  dry  upon  his  cheek, 
"Lazarus,  come  forth,"  still  nothing  could  be  more 
in  keeping  with  the  great  work  he  came  to  do,  than 
that  he  should  weep  at  the  grave.  For  all  flesh 
weeps  there.  Every  human  being  weeps  there,  even 
if  he  weeps  no  where  else.  There  is  no  man  so 
hard  as  not  to  weep  for  his  dead.  And  there  is  no 
man  so  wicked  or  worthless  as  not  to  have  the 
tribute  of  a  tear  when  he  is  gone.  It  is  one  of  the 
saddest,  but  one  of  the  most  inalienable  portions 
of  our  earthly  heritage,  that  we  are  all,  sooner  or 
later,  called  to  weep  over  our  dead.  How  significant 
and    appropriate    to    the    character    of    our    great 


HIS    IMMACULATE   VIRTUES.  75 

Mediator,  who  came  to  rescue  us  from  the  grasp  of 
sin  and  death,  that  we  shouki  have  this  simple  and 
touching  memorial  of  his  love — Jesus  wept  ! 

But  this  is  not  the  only  record  of  his  tenderness. 
We  read  of  another  memorable  occasion  Avhich 
called  forth  the  tears  of  the  Son  of  God.  It  was 
his  last  visit  to  Jerusalem — that  which  led  him,  as 
he  had  so  often  told  his  disciples,  to  go  up  for  the  ex- 
press purpose  of  dying  there.*  It  was  on  the  day 
of  his  public  and  triumphal  entry  into  the  holy  city, 
according  to  that  ancient  prophecy  which  had  de- 
scribed, in  joyful  strains,  Zion's  king  as  coming  to 
her  with  salvation,  riding  upon  the  foal  of  an  ass. 
It  was  an  occasion  which,  occurring  only  a  few  days 
before  the  great  annual  feast  of  the  Passover,  had 
drawn  together  an  unwonted  number  of  his  friends 
and  followers,  as  well  as  a  vast  concourse  of  the 
people,  who  had  beheld  his  mighty  works  in  Galilee, 
or  had  still  more  recently  been  the  witnesses  of  his 
great  miracle  near  Jerusalem,  the  resurrection  of 
Lazarus.  Leaving  Bethany,  where  he  had  but 
lately  wrought  this  mighty  work,  and  accompanied 
by  the  vast  multitudes,  both  of  those  who  had  fol- 
lowed him,  and  of  those  who  had  come  out  of  the 
city  to  welcome  his  approach,  he  passed  over  the 
Mount  of  Olives,  and  came  at  once  within  full  view 
of  that  glorious  city. 

He  had  not  seen  it  before  for  more  than  three 
months.  He  had  left  it  at  the  feast  of  the  Dedica- 
tion, a  voluntary  exile,  because  his  hour  had  not 


76  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

then  corae  to  die.  He  had  at  that  time  bidden  it 
farewell  in  the  following  sorrowful  words,  recorded 
by  Luke  :  "  0  Jerusalem  !  Jerusalem  !  which  killest 
the  prophets  and  stonest  them  that  are  sent  unto 
thee,  how  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy  children 
together  as  a  hen  doth  gather  her  brood  under  her 
wings,  but  ye  would  not !  Behold  your  house  is  left 
unto  you  desolate.  And  verily  I  say  unto  you,  Ye 
shall  not  see  me  until  the  time  come  when  ye  shall 
say,  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord." 

And  now  that  time  had  come.  He  was  ap- 
proaching, to  leave  Jerusalem  no  more,  till  he 
should  have  laid  down  his  life  as  a  sacrifice  for  the 
sins  of  the  world.  "For,"  said  he,  "it  cannot  be 
that  a  prophet  perish  out  of  Jerusalem."  He  was 
coming  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  to  die,  whilst  a 
joyful  multitude,  thinking  he  was  coming  to  set  up 
his  temporal  kingdom  on  the  throne  of  David, 
strewed  their  garments  and  palm  branches  in  his 
way,  and  cried  aloud:  "Hosanna!  Blessed  be  the 
King  of  Israel,  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord.     Peace  in  heaven,  and  glory  in  the  highest." 

From  the  point  of  descent  of  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  over  which  he  was  now  passing,  in  a  direc- 
tion directly  west  and  across  the  deep  valley  of 
Jehoshaphat,  appeared  the  city  in  all  its  ancient 
grandeur.  He  had  at  one  view  the  whole  outline 
of  its  eastern  wall  surmounting  the  brow  of  the  hill, 
and  rising  some  two  hundred  feet  above  the  valley ; 


HIS    IMMACULATE    VIRTUES.  7T 

and  above  and  beyond  that,  the  gorgeous  temple, 
covering  the  whole  summit  of  Mount  Moriah,  with 
its  beautiful  eastern  gate,  its  white  marble  walls,  its 
alabaster  porticoes  and  colonnades,  its  gold-covered 
pinnacles  and  turrets — all  flashing  back  the  morn- 
ing light,  and  sparkling  like  "  a  mountain  of  snow 
studded  with  jewels."  On  that  glorious  spectacle, 
the  pilgrims  of  every  generation  had  fixed  their 
eyes  with  devout  and  admiring  wonder,  even  from 
the  days  of  Solomon.  Can  we  doubt  that  the  Son 
of  God  now  paused  to  gaze  upon  such  a  scene  of 
loveliness  ? 

"There  stood  Jerusalem.     How  fair  she  looked, 
The  silver  sun  on  all  her  palaces, 
And  her  fair  daughters  'mid  the  golden  spires, 
Tending  their  terrace  flowers,  and  Kedron's  stream 
Lacing  the  meadows  with  its  silver  band. 
And  breatliing  its  mist  mantle  on  the  sky 
With  the  morn's  exhalations.     There  she  stood, 
Jerusalem,  the  city  of  his  love. 
Chosen  from  all  the  earth  ;  Jerusalem, 
That  knew  him  not,  and  had  rejected  him ; 
Jerusalem  for  whom  he  came  to  die." 

And  how  was  Jesus  affected  by  all  this  scene  of 
external  magnificence — the  chosen  seat  of  God's 
favoured  covenant  people  ?  He  wept  over  it.  He 
mingled  his  tears  of  pity  with  prophetic  warnings 
of  its  approaching  doom.  The  sacred  writer  tells 
us  that  "  when  he  was  come  near  he  beheld  the  city 
and  wept  over  it,  saying,  If  thou  hadst  known, 
even  thou,  at  least,  in  this  thy  day,  the  things  which 
7* 


78  THE    BEAUTY    OF  IMMANUEL. 

belong  unto  thy  peace  !  But  now  they  are  hid  from 
thine  eyes.  For  the  days  shall  come  upon  thee, 
that  thine  enemies  shall  cast  a  trench  about  thee, 
and  compass  thee  round,  and  keep  thee  in  on  every 
side,  and  shall  lay  thee  even  with  the  ground,  and 
thy  children  within  thee ;  and  they  shall  not  leave 
in  thee  one  stone  upon  another ;  because  thou 
knewest  not  the  time  of  thy  visitation." 

Here  again,  as  in  so  many  other  instances,  we 
behold  the  mysterious  blending  of  all  his  Divine 
and  human  attributes.  While  all  the  deep  fountains 
of  Divine  and  human  love  are  moved  within  him ; 
while  the  warm  tears  of  humanity  stream  from  his 
eyes,  as  he  thinks  of  the  hapless  fate  of  the  incor- 
rigible but  beloved  city,  with  all  the  consciousness 
of  Divine  power,  and  with  a  perfect  foresight  of  all 
the  sad  future,  he  pronounces  its  terrible  doom. 
And  what  a  contrast  between  this  deep  and  solitary 
sorrow  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  the  enthusiastic  joy 
of  the  multitude  which  surrounds  him  !  How  ut- 
terly unlike  every  other  king  and  conqueror  in  the 
world's  history,  when  borne  along  in  triumphal  pro- 
cession, amid  the  shouts  and  hosannas  of  an  ap- 
plauding and  rejoicing  people !  "  And  when  he  was 
come  nigh,  even  now  at  the  descent  of  the  Mount 
of  Olives,  the  whole  multitude  of  the  disciples  be- 
gan to  rejoice  and  praise  God,  with  a  loud  voice,  for 
all  the  mighty  works  they  had  seen." 

But  Jesus  wept — wept  alone  :  for,  at  that  moment 
of  universal  joy  around  him,  there  was  probably  not 


HIS    IMMACULATE    VIRTUES.  79 

one  human  heart  in  all  the  throng  that  could  under- 
stand or  appreciate  his  sorrow.  He  wept  not  for 
himself,  but  for  others  ;  not  on  account  of  the  suf- 
ferings he  was  so  soon  to  endure,  but  on  account  of 
the  woes  of  the  doomed  city,  and  of  this  guilty 
world.  He  wept  for  the  city  and  the  people  he  had 
come  to  save ;  whom  he  would  have  died  to  save  ;  to 
whom  he  had  so  long  preached,  and  for  whom  he 
had  so  often  prayed.  And  now  he  saw  that  the  day 
of  merciful  visitation  was  closing  for  ever.  He  came 
unto  his  own  and  his  own  had  not  received  him. 
The  harvest  was  passed  ;  the  summer  was  ended ; 
and  the  sinners  of  Jerusalem,  as  if  about  to  fore- 
stall the  doom  of  all  sinners  to  the  end  of  time, 
were  not  saved. 

»'He  thought  not  of  the  death  that  he  should  die, 
He  thought  not  of  the  thoi-ns  he  knew  must  pierce 
His  forehead — of  the  buffet  on  the  cheek — 
The  scourge — the  mocking  homage — the  foul  scorn. 
Gethsemane  stood  out  beneath  his  eye, 
Clear  in  the  morning  sun.     And  Golgotha  ' 
Stood  bare  and  desert  by  the  city  wall. 
And  in  its  midst  to  his  prophetic  eye 
Rose  the  rough  cross,  and  its  keen  agonies. 
The  nails,  the  spear,  and  the  insulting  sponge, 
The  blood  and  water  gushing  from  his  side. 
Aye!  he  forgot  all  this.     He  only  saw 
Jerusalem,  the  chosen,  the  loved,  the  lost; 
He  only  felt,  that  for  her  sake  his  life 
Was  vainly  given ;  and  in  his  pitying  love. 
The  suflFerings,  that  would  clothe  the  heavens  in  black 
Were  quite  forgotten.     "Was  there  ever  love 
In  earth  or  heaven  like  this  ?" 


80  THE   BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

But  we  pause.  Human  language  is  inadequate 
to  delineate  the  character  of  Immanuel,  even  in  one 
of  its  virtues.  The  inspired  writers  have  recorded 
for  us  his  words,  breathing  the  love  of  heaven ;  they 
have  told  us  of  his  tears,  the  outward  symbols  of 
that  love ;  and  then  they  have  set  before  us  the 
amazing  scene  of  his  death,  as  its  highest  conceiv- 
able proof  and  manifestation.  Our  object  has  been 
to  single  out  this  unparalleled  love  simply  as  an  il- 
lustration of  the  manifold  virtues  or  attributes,  that 
shone  forth,  in  full-orbed  perfection,  from  the  whole 
Divine  and  human  nature  of  Jesus.  We  have  taken 
this  one  perfection,  because  from  the  nature  of  the 
case,  it  had  to  bear  a  prominent  part  in  his  estate 
of  humiliation,  and  his  ministry  of  mercy  in  our 
suffering  world ;  and  also  because  it  is  one  which  is 
of  the  very  essence  of  the  gospel  which  he  preached, 
and  of  the  God  whom  he  came  to  reveal.  Love  is 
the  fulfilling  of  every  law  of  the  gospel ;  and  God 
himself  is  love.  The  perfect  love  of  Jesus  may, 
therefore,  be  taken  as  the  crowning  proof  and  seal 
of  all  his  other  virtues.  It  was  impossible  that 
there  should  be  such  a  manifestation  of  all  Divine 
and  human  sympathies  even  unto  death,  without  at 
the  same  time  carrying  with  it  the  full  play  of 
every  other  conceivable  perfection. 

Hence  we  find  exhibited  in  the  life  of  Jesus  all 
other  virtues — not  only  an  absolute  sinless  human- 
ity, but  a  humanity  completely  radiant  with  every 
positive   excellence  which  can  be  conceived  of,  as 


mS    IMMACULATE    VIRTUES.  81 

belonging  to  an  incarnate  Deity.  We  behold  at 
every  step  the  character  of  one  who,  though  living 
among  sinners,  and  at  last  dying  for  sinners,  and 
tempted  in  all  points  like  as  we  are,  was  yet  holy, 
harmless,  undefiled,  and  separate  from  sinners.  We 
behold  not  only  kindness,  courtesy,  condescension, 
sympathy,  moderation,  gentleness,  self-denial,  pa- 
tience, fortitude,  and  all  those  qualities  that  adorn 
the  relationships  of  human  life  ;  but  we  behold  all 
the  higher  and  nobler  attributes  of  virtue — an  in 
flexible  justice,  an  unflinching  courage,  an  undevi- 
ating  truthfulness,  a  steadfast  purpose,  an  uncom- 
promising honour,  a  genuine  devotion,  a  heroic  faith, 
a  self-sacrificing  zeal,  a  sublime  energy,  and  an  im- 
maculate holiness,  such  as,  even  aside  from  his 
boundless  love,  never  met  before  in  any  human  cha- 
racter. Each  trait  was  absolutely  perfect  in  itself, 
and  absolutely  perfect  in  its  combination  with  all 
the  rest.  Such  a  character  of  moral  excellence  is 
without  a  pai'allel  in  the  annals  of  mankind.  And 
8uch  a  character  in  such  a  world  as  this,  is  a  de- 
monstration complete  that  its  possessor  was  Divine. 


82  THE   BEAUTY   OP   IMMANUEL. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

THE    MANIFESTATIONS    OF    HIS    GLORY. 

In  reading  the  life  of  our  blessed  Lord,  we  must 
not  forget  that  there  were  reasons  which  made  it 
necessary  that  his  celestial  beauty  and  all  his  Di- 
vine attributes  should  be  partially  concealed  from 
men  during  the  whole  period  of  his  incarnation. 
The  work  he  came  into  the  world  to  accomplish  was 
essentially  a  work  of  suffering  and  death.  His 
condition  while  performing  that  work  was  of  neces- 
sity one  of  deep  humiliation,  inconsistent  with  any 
general  and  overpowering  display  of  Divine  glory. 
It  was  the  sun  in  a  state  of  eclipse.  Though  he 
was,  even  while  dwelling  in  mortal  clay,  the  bright- 
ness of  the  Father's  glory  and  the  express  image 
of  his  person,  possessing  all  the  fulness  of  the  God- 
head bodily,  yet  that  glory  was  under  a  cloud, 
hidden,  not  only  from  the  world,  but,  in  great 
measure,  from  his  most  intimate  friends  and  disci- 
ples. In  view  of  this  low  estate  we  find  Isaiah 
foretelling  that  he  would  be  despised  and  rejected 
of  men,  an  object  of  astonishment  and  offence  to 
many,  because  his  visage  was  so  marred  more  than 
any  man,  and  his  form  more  than  the  sons  of  men. 


THE    MANIFESTATIONS    OF    HIS    GLORY.  83 

'^  For  he  shall  grow  up  before  him  as  a  tender  plant, 
and  as  a  root  out  of  a  dry  ground ;  he  hath  no  form 
nor  comeliness ;  and  when  we  shall  see  him  there  is 
no  beauty  that  we  should  desire  him." 

But,  notwithstanding  this  deep  humiliation  and 
hiding  of  his  power,  we  find,  both  in  Isaiah  and 
other  prophets,  indications  that  even  in  the  days  of 
his  flesh,  there  should  break  forth  many  signal  dis- 
plays of  his  Divine  glory  and  beauty.  The  sun 
must,  indeed,  be  hidden,  but  it  was  not  to  be  a  total 
eclipse.  Isaiah  speaks  of  him  as  "the  Branch  of 
the  Lord,  beautiful  and  glorious;"  "Thine  eyes 
shall  see  the  King  in  his  beauty,"  and  David, 
drawing  aside  that  veil  of  suffering  which  so  con- 
cealed his  glory  from  mortal  view,  exclaims,  "  Thy 
people  shall  be  willing  in  the  day  of  thy  power ;  in 
the  beauties  of  holiness  from  the  womb  of  the 
morning,  thou  hast  the  dew  of  thy  youth." 

Accordingly  we  find  the  life  of  Jesus  Christ,  as 
related  by  the  evangelists,  everywhere  in  exact  cor- 
respondence with  this  two-fold  prophetical  repre- 
sentation of  his  humiliation  and  his  glory.  For, 
while  there  hangs  over  his  whole  mortal  career,  from 
the  manger  to  the  cross,  that  eclipse  of  Divine 
glories  which  so  well  befitted  a  suffering  Messiah, 
there  were  not  wanting,  even  at  the  darkest  hour, 
bright  glimpses  of  celestial  light,  indicating  that 
the  darkness  must  soon  pass,  and  the  sun  rise  again 
triumphant  in  his  meridian  splendor.  Over  and 
above  all  his  miracles  and  mighty  works,  there  were 


84  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

Other  manifestations  of  his  glory — indications  of  a 
supernatural  order,  given  to  him  from  the  Father — 
at  once  tokens  to  him  of  his  Father's  approving 
love,  and  proofs  to  his  disciples  that  he  was  the  be- 
loved Son  of  God. 

These,  from  the  very  nature  of  the  case,  had  to 
be  given  as  occasional  manifestations,  or  exceptions 
from  the  general  tenor  of  our  Saviour's  life.  For 
it  is  obvious  that,  had  they  occurred  so  frequently 
as  to  become  the  rule,  and  not  the  exception,  during 
his  incarnation,  they  must  have  defeated  the  great 
work  of  suffering  and  death,  which  could  be  per- 
formed only  in  an  estate  of  humiliation.  And  so 
we  find  that,  unlike  all  the  ordinary  transactions 
and  events  of  his  life,  these  occasional  manifesta- 
tions of  supernatural  power  and  glory  were,  for  the 
most  part,  witnessed  by  but  a  few  chosen  spectators. 
When  he  suffered  and  died,  the  world  looked  on  the 
spectacle.  Thousands  of  human  eyes  gazed  on  the 
helpless  sufferer.  But  no  man  saw  him  rise  from 
the  dead.  That  glory  was  reserved  for  the  angels 
alone.  All  his  appearances  after  his  resurrection, 
during  the  forty  days  preceding  his  ascension,  as 
belonging,  properly,  to  his  estate  of  exaltation, 
took  place  in  the  presence  of  his  disciples  alone, 
varying  in  number  from  one  to  above  five  hundred. 
That  last  and  most  glorious  act  of  all,  when  he  as- 
cended up  on  high,  must  have  been  witne!^sed  by  a 
comparatively  small  number.  And  so  all  the 
brightest  manifestations  of  his   glor}^  prior  to  his 


THE   MANIFESTATIONS    OF   HIS    GLORY.  85 

resurrection,  were  not  given  to  the  world  at  large, 
but  to  a  few  spectators.  When  an  angel  Avas  sent 
from  heaven  to  announce  his  advent,  and  that  of  his 
forerunner,  in  the  one  case  Zacharias,  and  in  the 
other  Mary,  were  the  sole  recipients  of  the  message. 
When  at  his  birth  a  multitude  of  angels  sang  Glory 
to  God  in  the  highest;  peace  on  earth,  good  will  to 
men,  a  few  shepherds  at  Bethlehem  were  all  that 
heard  the  song.  When  his  star  appeared  in  the 
east,  and  hovered  over  his  manger,  though  many  may 
have  seen  it,  yet  none  but  a  few  Avise  men  seem  to 
have  understood  its  peculiar  glory.  When  angels 
descended  and  ministered  to  him  at  the  end  of  his 
temptations  in  the  wilderness,  we  are  told  that  he 
"Was  alone  with  the  wild  beasts.  No  mortal  saw  his 
heavenly  visitants.  In  the  awful  hour  of  his  agony 
in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane,  when  he  had  with- 
drawn from  the  presence  of  the  disciples  to  pray 
alone,  there  appeared  unto  him  an  angel  from 
heaven,  strengthening  him.  But  all  these  signs  of 
power  were  hidden  from  the  world. 

In  tAvo  instances,  recorded  by  the  evangelists, 
there  seem  to  have  been  multitudes  present  to  Avit- 
ness  these  extraordinary  manifestations  of  his  glory. 
The  one  was  at  his  baptism,  when  the  heavens  were 
opened  to  him,  and  he  saw  the  Spirit  of  God  de- 
scending like  a  dove  and  lighting  upon  him.  And 
lo,  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying.  This  is  my  beloved 
Son  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased.  The  other  Avas  on 
a  subsequent  occasion,  during  his  last  days,  in  the 
8 


86  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

temple  at  Jerusalem,  when  in  answer  to  his  prayer, 
*'  Father,  glorify  thy  name,"  there  came  a  voice 
from  heaven,  saying,  "I  have  both  glorified  it,  and 
will  glorify  it  again."  We  cannot  tell  what  number 
of  people  saw  and  heard  these  two  supernatural 
manifestations  of  his  glory.  But  on  another  still 
more  remarkable  occasion,  that  of  his  transfiguration 
on  the  Mount,  we  know  that  only  three  chosen  dis- 
ciples were  present  with  Moses  and  Elias,  to  behold 
his  glory,  and  that  these  were  charged  not  to  make 
it  known  till  he  should  have  risen  from  the  dead ; 
thereby  showing  that  this  and  similar  revelations 
belonged  not  properly  to  his  mortal  life,  but  to  his 
risen  and  exalted  state. 

The  transfiguration,  which  is  so  fully  recorded  by 
three  of  the  evangelists,  and  referred  to  by  the 
Apostle  Peter  in  his  second  epistle,  is  indeed  one 
of  the  most  wonderful  and  significant  transactions 
in  our  Saviour's  history,  and  deserves  a  special  con- 
sideration. It  may  be  taken  as  the  type  or  expo- 
nent of  all  those  extraordinary  manifestations  of 
his  glory,  which  seem  to  have  been  granted  from 
time  to  time,  as  a  sort  of  pledge  or  earnest  of  the 
future,  in  order  to  relieve  the  darkness  and  offset 
the  deep  humiliation  of  his  incarnate  mortal  life. 
St.  Peter  evidently  lays  peculiar  stress  upon  this 
transfiguration,  when,  writing  long  after  its  occur- 
rence, he  says,  "We  have  not  followed  cunningly 
devised  fables,  when  we  made  known  unto  you  the 
power  and  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus   Chz-ist,  but 


THE   MANIFESTATIONS    OF   HIS    GLORY.  87 

■vrere  eye  witnesses  of  his  majesty.  For  he  received 
from  God  the  Father  honour  and  glory,  when  there 
came  such  a  voice  to  him  from  the  excellent  glory, 
"  This  is  my  beloved  Son  in  whom  I  am  well 
pleased.  And  this  voice  which  came  from  heaven 
we  heard,  when  we  were  with  him  in  the  holy 
Mount."  The  Apostle  John  probably  refers  to  this 
event,  when  he  says,  "  The  Word  was  made  flesh 
and  dwelt  among  us,  and  we  beheld  his  glory,  the 
glory  as  of  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father,  full 
of  grace  and  truth."  It  is  also  worthy  of  notice, 
that  in  describing  his  sublime  vision  of  the  Saviour 
in  the  opening  chapter  of  the  Apocalypse,  where  he 
appears  in  glory  as  the  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  First 
and  the  Last,  this  apostle  uses  language  similar  to 
that  in  which  the  transfiguration  is  described : 
"  His  head  and  his  hairs  were  white  like  wool,  as 
white  as  snow;  and  his  eyes  were  as  a  flame  of 
fire ;  and  his  countenance  as  the  sun  shining  in  his 
strength." 

But  let  us  turn  to  the  account  of  the  transfigura- 
tion as  recorded  by  Matthew.  "  After  six  days 
Jesus  taketh  Peter,  James,  and  John  his  brother, 
and  bringeth  them  up  into  a  high  mountain  apart  ; 
and  was  transfigured  before  them :  and  his  face  did 
shine  as  the  sun,  and  his  raiment  was  white  as  the 
light."  Luke  adds,  that  he  went  up  to  pray,  and 
that  as  he  prayed,  the  fashion  of  his  countenance 
was  altered,  and  his  raiment  became  white  and  glist- 
ening.    "And  behold,  there  appeared  unto   them 


88  THE    BEAUTY    OF   IMMANUEL. 

Moses  and  Ellas  talking  with  him."  Luke  again 
adds  the  subject  of  discourse,  "  who  appeared  in  glory 
and  spake  of  his  decease  which  he  should  accom- 
plish at  Jerusalem."  "Then  answered  Peter,  and 
said  unto  Jesus,  Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here ; 
if  thou  wilt,  let  us  make  here  three  tabernacles  ; 
one  for  thee,  and  one  for  Moses,  and  one  for  Elias:" 
as  Luke  adds,  not  knowing  what  he  said.  "While 
he  yet  spake,  behold  a  bright  cloud  overshadowed 
them  ;  and  behold  a  voice  out  of  the  cloud,  which 
said.  This  is  my  beloved  Son  in  whom  I  am  well 
pleased ;  hear  ye  him.  And  when  the  disciples 
heard  it,  they  fell  on  their  face,  and  were  sore 
afraid."  Luke  says,  they  feared  as  they  entered 
into  the  cloud.  "  And  Jesus  came  and  touched 
them,  and  said,  Arise,  and  be  not  afraid.  And 
when  they  had  lifted  up  their  eyes,  they  saw  no 
man  save  Jesus  only.  And  as  they  came  down 
from  the  mountain,  Jesus  charged  them,  saying, 
Tell  the  vision  to  no  man  until  the  Son  of  man  be 
risen  again  from  the  dead."  Mark  tells  us  that 
they  kept  that  saying  with  themselves,  questioning 
one  with  another,  what  the  rising  from  the  dead  should 
mean ;  and  he  further  adds,  that  all  the  people, 
when  they  beheld  him  as  he  came  down  from  the 
mount,  were  greatly  amazed,  and  running  to  him, 
saluted  him.  From  this  it  would  seem,  that,  as  in 
the  case  of  Moses  on  a  similar  occasion,  some  ves- 
tiges of  the  excellent  glory  still  lingered  about  his 


THE  MANIFESTATIONS  OF  HIS  GLORY.  89 

person,  and  inspired  the  multitude  witli  wonder  and 
adoration. 

The  first  thing  claiming  attention  in  this  account 
of  the  transfiguration  is  the  time  of  its  occurrence. 
It  was  six  days  after  our  Saviour's  most  emphatic 
declaration  to  his  disciples  that  he  must  suffer  death 
at  Jerusalem.  In  the  vicinity  of  Cresarea  Philippi, 
while  conversing  with  the  disciples  about  his  Mes- 
siahship,  he  had  received  from  Peter  that  good  and 
strong  confession,  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
the  living  God,  which  led  him  to  say,  Thou  art 
Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church, 
and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it. 
"From  that  time  forth,"  we  are  told,  "began  Jesus 
to  shoAV  unto  his  disciples,  how  that  he  must  go  unto 
Jerusalem,  and  suffer  many  things  of  the  elders  and 
chief  priests  and  scribes,  and  be  killed,  and  be 
raised  again  the  third  day."  This  was  in  the  last 
year  of  his  public  ministry,  and  probably  about  nine 
months  before  his  death.  As  the  disciples  could 
neither  comprehend  the  mystery  of  his  resurrection, 
nor  see  the  necessity  for  his  death,  one  object  of 
the  transfiguration  was  evidently  to  impress  their 
minds  with  the  certainty  of  these  great  facts. 
Peter  had,  in  his  ardent  zeal,  even  ventured  to  re- 
buke him,  for  thus  speaking  of  a  speedy  and  violent 
death.  But  he  rebukes  the  disciple  in  turn,  and 
takes  occasion  to  utter  some  of  the  most  weighty 
and  fundamental  truths  of  his  gospel,  saying,  as  no 
mortal  man  had  ever  said  before,  "  If  any  man  will 


90  THE    BEAUTY    OF   IMMANUEL. 

oome  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself  and  take  up 
his  cross  and  follow  me.  For  whosoever  will  save 
his  life,  shall  lose  it ;  and  whosoever  will  lose  his  life 
for  my  sake,  shall  find  it.  For  what  is  a  man  pro- 
fited, if  he  shall  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his 
own  soul  ?  or  what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for 
his  soul  ?  For  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  the 
glory  of  his  Father  with  his  angels,  and  then  he 
shall  reward  every  man  according  to  his  works. 
Verily,  I  say  unto  you.  There  be  some  standing 
here,*which  shall  not  taste  of  death,  till  they  see 
the  Son  of  man  coming  in  his  kingdom." 

In  immediate  connection  with  these  sublime  utter- 
ances, in  each  of  the  three  evangelists,  stands  the 
record  of  his  transfiguration.  There  can  be  no 
doubt,  that  as  a  manifestation  of  his  celestial  glory, 
and  as  a  type  and  symbol  of  that  eternal  kingdom 
of  which  he  had  just  spoken,  and  in  the  full  glory 
of  which  he  should  come  at  the  last  day,  this  trans- 
figuration was  in  his  mind  as  the  first  and  immediate 
fulfilment  of  the  prediction.  "There  be  some  stand- 
ing here  who  shall  not  taste  of  death  till  they  see 
the  Son  of  man  coming  in  his  kingdom."  For  this 
being  a  demonstration  from  heaven  of  his  eternal 
power  and  Godhead — the  very  prelude,  pledge,  and 
proof  of  his  final  and  glorious  appearing,  might  well 
be  regarded  by  those  who  saw  it,  as  the  coming  of 
his  kingdom.  Indeed  we  know  that  the  apostle 
Peter  did  so  regard  it ;  for  he  says,  "  We  have  not 
followed  cunningly  devised  fables,  when  we  made 


THE    MANIFESTATIONS    OF    HIS    GLORY.  91 

known  unto  you  the  power  and  coming  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  but  were  eyewitnesses  of  his  majesty." 

From  these  and  other  circumstances  attending 
the  transfiguration,  it  is  easy  to  see  what  was  its 
great  design.  To  the  three  disciples  who  witnessed 
it,  it  was  evidently  intended  to  be  a  sublime  and 
prophetic  representation  of  Immanuel  in  his  glory 
— that  glory  which  he  had  before  he  came  into  the 
world,  which  he  now  wears  in  heaven,  and  in  which 
he  will  come  at  last  to  judge  the  world.  It  was  in- 
tended for  the  confirmation  of  their  faith,  and,  when 
the  seal  of  secrecy  should  be  removed,  to  be  a  source 
of  instruction  and  consolation  to  his  church  through 
all  ages.  To  the  Saviour  himself  it  probably  had 
another  and  still  higher  significance.  Like  the 
presence  of  ministering  angels  in  his  hours  of  trial 
and  agony,  and  like  other  celestial  attestations, 
which  he  received  from  time  to  time,  it  no  doubt 
had  the  great  purpose  of  sustaining  his  own  faith, 
and  of  preparing  him  for  the  great  sacrifice  which 
he  was  to  make  at  Jerusalem.  The  well-beloved 
Son  of  God  was  not  to  be  left  entirely  alone  even  in  his 
deep  humiliation.  He  needed,  and  from  time  to  time, 
he  received  these  high  tokens  of  the  Father's  love,  and 
these  prelibations  of  the  glory  which  awaited  him 
when  his  work  should  have  been  accomplished. 

It  is  interesting  to  notice  in  this  scene  the  im- 
portant agency  of  prayer.  One  evangelist  tells  us 
that  he  went  up  into  the  mount  to  pray  ;  and  that 
as  he  prayed  the  fashion  of  his  countenance  was 


92  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

changed.  What  honour  does  the  Son  of  God  place 
upon  prayer  in  thus  using  it  in  all  the  great  trans- 
actions of  his  life  !  And  what  honour  does  the 
Father  place  upon  it,  in  granting  all  his  most  glori- 
ous manifestations  in  answer  to  prayer  !  At  his 
baptism,  it  was  while  he  prayed,  that  the  heavens 
were  opened  to  him,  and  the  Spirit  descended  upon 
him,  and  a  voice  came  from  heaven:  "This  is  my 
beloved  Son."  It  was  while  he  was  uttering  the 
language  of  prayer,  that  the  same  voice  was  heard 
again  in  the  temple.  Before  he  called  Lazarus 
from  the  grave,  he  lifted  up  his  eyes  to  heaven  in 
thanksgiving  and  prayer.  And  so  here,  it  is  prayer 
that  opens  the  heavens  on  the  Mount  of  transfigura- 
tion, and  brings  down  the  glorified  messengers.  If 
Immanuel  found  it  good  to  pray,  how  much  more 
ought  sinful,  helpless  men  always  to  pray  and  not 
to  faint  ! 

One  of  the  most  significant  circumstances  con- 
nected with  the  vision,  was,  that  Moses  and  Elias 
should  appear.  Of  all  the  saints  who  had  lived 
under  the  Old  Testament  dispensation,  and  gone  to 
glory,  it  was  most  appropriate  that  these  two  should 
be  manifested  on  this  occasion — Moses  as  the  great 
lawgiver  of  Israel,  and  Elijah  as  the  most  remark- 
able example  and  representative  of  the  prophetic 
order.  As  Christ  is  the  end  of  the  whole  legal 
system,  and  the  burden  of  all  the  prophets ;  as  all 
the  Scriptures,  both  of  the  law  and  the  prophets, 
pointed  to  his  advent;  so  now  the  great  lawgiver  and 


THE    MANIFESTATIONS    OF    HIS    GLORY.  93 

the  great  typal  prophet,  appear  to  him  in  glory,  and 
discourse  of  that  death  whicli  was  to  fulfil  both  the 
law  and  the  prophets.  Indeed,  it  was  predicted  of 
hira,  that  he  should  be  a  prophet  like  unto  Moses, 
and  that  Elijah  should  be  sent  as  his  immediate 
forerunner  to  prepare  for  his  coming.  And  so, 
these  two  great  names,  the  one  opening  the  Scrip- 
tures of  the  law,  and  the  other  closing  those  of  the 
prophets,  by  this  prediction  in  Malachi,  in  a  man- 
ner, represent  the  whole  period  of  preparation,  the 
four  thousand  years  before  Immanuel's  advent;  and 
now  when  the  fulness  of  time  had  come,  they  ap- 
pear on  the  holy  Mount  to  bear  witness  and  homage 
to  hira  as  Lord  of  all.  The  glorified  spirit  of  the 
prophet,  in  the  same  glorified  body,  which,  without 
tasting  death,  had  once  been  wafted  to  heaven  in  a 
chariot  of  fire  and  horsemen  of  fire,  comes  down  to 
the  cloud-covered  Mount  on  this  new  and  unusual 
ministry.  And  the  once  disembodied  spirit  of  the 
great  lawgiver,  wdiich  had  been  so  long  in  heaven, 
is  now  arrayed  in  a  mortal  form,  prepared  for  the 
occasion,  or  else  in  that  very  body,  raised  from  the 
dead,  which  the  Lord  himself  had  buried  in  a  valley 
of  the  land  of  Moab,  where  no  man  knew  of  his 
sepulchre.  In  either  case,  and  in  both  examples,  it 
was  a  sublime  and  glorious  demonstration  of  the 
great  truth  of  another  and  higher  life  for  man. 

It  was  an  occasion  on  which  the  two  worlds 
seemed  to  meet  face  to  face.  Heaven  was  there, 
j-epresented  by  these   glorified  spirits  of  just  men 


94  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

made  perfect,  who,  for  ages,  had  tasted  its  bliss. 
And  earth  was  there,  represented  by  the  three 
apostles  in  all  their  frailty,  wonderment,  and  aspira- 
tion after  better  things.  Between  them  stood  Im- 
manuel,  clothed  now  in  the  nature  of  both,  fit  Me- 
diator thus  between  God  and  man,  and  only  ladder 
of  ascent  from  the  mortal  to  the  immortal.  As  it 
was  a  meeting  and  commingling  of  the  two  worlds, 
earth  and  heaven,  brief  indeed  in  its  duration,  but 
prefiguring  one  which  is  to  be  eternal,  so  also  was  it 
a  striking  representation  of  the  unity  of  the  church 
of  God,  under  all  forms  and  dispensations.  Here, 
on  a  lone  mountain  summit,  apart  from  every  human 
abode,  and  hidden  from  the  gaze  of  other  men,  the 
three  disciples  have  an  ocular  demonstration  of 
Zion's  glory  in  her  Great  Redeemer.  Here  is  the 
church  of  the  ancient  covenant  in  the  person  of  two 
of  his  greatest  teachers  ;  representing  all  those  who 
by  faith  and  patience  had  already  inherited  the 
promises,  and  entered  into  their  rest.  And  here 
•was  the  church  of  the  New  Testament,  in  the  person 
of  the  three  apostles,  representing  all  those,  to  the 
end  of  time,  Avho,  by  faith  and  patience,  were  yet 
to  enter  in  the  church  of  the  fathers  and  the 
church  of  the  latter  days — the  church  militant  and 
the  church  triumphant — all  built  upon  the  founda- 
tion of  apostles  and  prophets,  Jesus  Christ  himself 
being  the  chief  Corner  Stone.  Truly  Immanuel 
was  here  in  his  glory,  for  he  was  here  in  the  midst 
of  his  church,  the  great  central  object,  with  whom 


THE    MANIFESTATIONS    OF    HIS    GLORY.  95 

the  immortals  converse,  and  on  whom  the  mortals 
gaze  with  awe  and  love.  Well  might  Peter  exclaim, 
not  knowing,  indeed,  what  to  say  adequate  to  such 
a  scene,  "  Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  he  here ;  if  thou 
wilt,  let  us  here  make  three  tabernacles,  one  for 
thee,  and  one  for  Moses,  and  one  for  Elias." 

But,  mark  the  voice  which  comes  from  heaven,  as 
the  interpreter  of  this  scene,  "  This  is  my  beloved 
Son  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased;  hear  ye  him." 
There  is  no  more  need  of  earthly  tabernacles  for 
Moses  and  Elias.  The  times  of  the  law,  and  the 
times  of  the  prophets  are  passed.  There  is  now  a 
greater  Lawgiver  and  a  greater  Prophet  in  the 
church  below.  Henceforth  the  only  earthly  taber- 
nacle is  that  in  which  Christ  resides.  The  work  of 
Moses  is  done ;  the  work  of  Elijah  and  all  the  pro- 
phets is  done  ;  but  one  work  remains,  that  of  the 
Son.  "This  is  my  beloved  Son  in  whom  I  am  well 
pleased;  hear  ye  him."  Let  him  be  your  Law- 
giver, your  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King. 

This  whole  scene  of  transfiguration  is,  therefore, 
a  representation  of  Immanuel's  glory  in  his  media- 
torial character,  as  well  as  the  type  and  prelude  of 
his  estate  of  exaltation  when  he  should  rise  from 
the  dead,  ascend  to  heaven,  and  come  again  in  the 
clouds  of  judgment.  For,  most  clearly,  we  have 
here  the  manifestation  of  his  character  as  our  great 
High  Priest,  properly  the  first  of  his  mediatorial 
offices.  The  burden  of  discourse  between  him  and 
the  celestial  visitors  is  his  work  of  sacrifice.     They 


96  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

spake  of  the  decease  which  he  must  accomplish  at 
Jerusalem  ;  and  the  apostles  are  charged  to  tell  the 
vision  to  no  man  till  that  work  was  done.  The 
work  of  sacrifice  once  ended,  and  the  great  High 
Priest  having  risen  again  and  gone  up  from  the 
valley  of  humiliation  to  appear  before  the  throne  in 
his  exalted  state,  a  Priest  for  ever  after  the  order 
of  Melchisedec — then  might  this  glory  he  declared 
to  men. 

Just  as  clearly  is  it  a  representation  of  his  Pro- 
phetic character.  For  the  apostles,  and,  through 
them,  the  church,  to  the  end  of  time,  are  com- 
manded to  hear  him  as  the  great  Teacher,  the  only 
true  prophet  and  lawgiver  on  earth.  Greater  than 
Moses,  greater  than  Elijah,  he  comes  as  the  very 
Prophet  of  whom  Moses  had  spoken,  and  whose  way 
Elijah  had  already  prepared  in  the  person  of  John 
the  Baptist.  This  vision  reveals  him  in  all  the 
glory  of  the  prophetic  character  because  the  prophet 
and  the  lawgiver  here  meet  in  one  who  is  the  be- 
loved Son  of  God. 

And  so  also  it  is  a  representation  of  the  Mediator 
in  the  glory  of  his  royal  character.  It  was  to  show 
beforehand  to  a  few  chosen  witnesses  who,  in  due 
time,  should  bear  witness  to  all  the  church  how  he 
would  appear  in  glory  when  he  should  come  as  a 
King,  a  Conqueror,  and  a  Judge.  He  had  declared 
in  the  hearing  of  the  multitude,  only  six  days  before, 
that  the  Son  of  man  would  come  in  the  glory  of  his 
Father  with  his  angels,  to  reward  every  man  accord- 


THE   MANIFESTATIONS    OF   HIS    GLORY.  97 

ing  to  his  works.  And  he  added,  that  some  were 
present,  who  should  not  taste  of  death,  till  they 
should  see  the  Son  of  man  coming  in  his  kingdom. 
And  here  on  the  mountain,  was  the  declaration 
verified  to  the  three  disciples  who  beheld  this  mani- 
festation of  his  power  and  glory  as  the  King  of 
kings  and  the  Lord  of  lords. 

Altogether  it  forms  one  of  the  most  instructive 
scenes  in  the  earthly  life  of  Immanuel.  And  it  is 
full  of  consolation  to  all  his  people.  It  shows  how 
near  heaven  is  to  us,  even  while  in  this  mortal  state. 
We  are  like  the  other  disciples,  left  below,  and 
wholly  unconscious  of  what  was  transpiring  in  the 
mount.  These  heavenly  visitors  came  and  went, 
but  they  knew  it  not.  But  if  our  eyes  were  open, 
what  glorified  forms  might  we  not  behold  in  that 
spiritual  world  which  is  just  above  us !  IIow  thin 
too  is  the  veil  which  intercepts  our  vision !  It  needs 
but  death  to  lift  it,  and  we  shall  see  face  to  face 
these  glorified  ones.  If  Moses  and  Elias  may  come 
back  into  our  world,  and  be  made  visible  to  mortal 
eyes,  how  much  easier  must  be  our  transition  into 
their  world!  And  unto  God  all  things  are  possible. 
Perhaps  we  have  but  to  die,  to  realize  how  closely 
we  had  lived  on  the  confines  of  heaven,  and  how 
true  was  the  conception,  that — 

"  Millions  of  spiritual  beings  walk  the  earth, 
Unseen,  biith  when  we  wake  and  when  we  sleep." 
9 


98  THE   BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

The  beloved  disciple,  when  writing  the  fourth 
Gospel,  and  quoting  from  Isaiah  to  show  why  the 
Jews  rejected  Jesus  as  their  Messiah,  says,  "  These 
things  said  Esaias,  when  he  saw  his  glory  and  spake 
of  him."  The  glory  revealed  to  the  inspired  pro- 
phet was  that  in  which  he  saw  the  Lord,  sitting 
upon  a  throne  high  and  lifted  up,  his  train  filling 
the  temple,  and  the  six-winged  seraphim  crying, 
one  to  another,  "  Holy,  holy,  holy,  is  the  Lord 
of  hosts;  the  whole  earth  is  full  of  his  glory." 
This  prophetic  apocalypse  may  be  regarded  as  the 
type  and  prelude  of  the  sublime  vision  of  the  trans- 
figuration ;  even  as  the  transfiguration  is  of  that 
eternal  kingdom  and  glory  in  which  the  Son  of 
man  shall  be  revealed  at  the  last  day.  And  so  we 
find  the  transfiguration,  with  its  kindred  manifesta- 
tions of  Immanuel's  glory,  holding  very  much  the 
same  relation  to  the  evangelical  history  and  to  all 
the  subsequent  revelations  of  the  New  Testament, 
which  Isaiah's  sublime  vision  held  in  the  prophetic 
history  and  in  the  following  Old  Testament  Scrip- 
tures. No  doubt  the  apostles,  in  many  a  dark  hour 
of  toil  and  tribulation,  remembered  what  they  had 
seen  and  heard  in  the  holy  mount ;  and  felt  their 
hearts  inspired  with  new  zeal,  as  they  looked  for- 
ward to  the  day  when  their  own  bodies  should  be 
fashioned  like  unto  his  glorious  body,  and  they 
should  see  him  face  to  face.  "Beloved,  now  are 
we   the   sons    of   God,  and   it   doth   not   yet    ap- 


THE   MANIFESTATIONS   OF   HIS   GLORY.  99 

pear  what  we  shall  he ;  hut  we  know  that  when 
he  shall  appear  we  shall  he  like  him ;  for  we 
shall  see  him  as  he  is.  And  every  man  that  hath 
this  hope  in  him,  purifieth  himself,  even  as  he  is 
pure." 


100  THE   BEAUTY   OF  IMMANUEL. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

HIS    SUFFERINGS   AND    DEATH. 

The  death  of  Jesus  was  itself  a  sublime  demon- 
stration of  his  immaculate  virtue.  So  far  as  man's 
agency  was  involved,  he  died  simply  because  a 
wicked  world  could  not  longer  bear  the  presence  of 
such  virtue.  His  pure  and  holy  life  was  a  standing 
rebuke  to  its  iniquity.  He  had  committed  no 
crime,  he  had  done  no  wrong,  he  had  spoken  no 
treason  ;  his  whole  public  and  private  life  had  been 
a  mission  of  mercy,  goodness,  and  peace ;  and  he 
boldly  challenged  the  world,  in  whose  open  daylight 
all  his  deeds  had  been  done,  to  convict  him  of  a 
single  sin ;  and  the  world,  in  a  most  remarkable 
manner,  admitted  that  he  was  unimpeachable  of  any 
crime.  The  witnesses  who  appeared  against  him 
contradicted  each  other.  The  man  who  betraj'^ed 
him  acknowledged  his  innocence,  and  hung  himself 
in  remorse  for  his  own  crime.  The  judge  who  passed 
sentence  of  death  upon  him,  confessed  in  the  same 
breath  that  he  could  find  no  fault  in  him.  The 
Roman  executioner  testified  at  the  cross  that  he  was 
a  righteous  man.  The  powers  in  authority  at  Jeru- 
salem knew  that  for  envy  alone  he  had  been  be- 


HIS  SUFFERINGS  AND  DEATH.       101 

trayed  and  delivered  up ;  and  all  the  people  from 
Dan  to  Beersheba  knew,  that  his  miracles  had  been 
miracles  of  mercy ;  his  words,  only  words  of  truth 
and  wisdom  ;  and  all  his  acts,  acts  of  peace  and 
love.  And  yet  the  world  crucified  him — crucified 
him  just  because  it  could  no  longer  stand  the  re- 
proving presence  of  his  immaculate  purity. 

That  such  a  man  should  have  died  such  a  death 
of  cruelty  and  shame,  in  a  civilized  and  enlightened 
age,  can  admit  of  no  other  explanation,  when  we 
leave  out  of  view  all  the  higher  and  Divine  purposes, 
than  that  man  was  depraved,  and  he  was  holy.  He 
had  spoken  to  the  guilty  conscience  of  a  world 
lying  in  wickedness  as  never  man  spake  before. 
His  heart-searching  discourses  had  penetrated  the 
inmost  depths  of  its  iniquity.  He  had  proclaimed 
the  wrath  of  God  against  all  unrighteousness,  and 
had  exposed  the  hollow-hearted  hypocrisy  of  the 
proud  in  the  clear  light  of  heaven's  truth.  With 
such  convincing  demonstration  did  he  speak  to  the 
heart  and  conscience  of  his  guilty  countrymen,  that 
they  could  give  his  doctrines  no  answer  except  that 
which,  as  they  thought,  should  silence  his  voice  for 
ever.  The  New  Testament  is  full  of  examples  of 
this  heart-searching  power  of  his  preaching.  The 
whole  world  is,  to  this  day,  full  of  witnesses,  both 
among  the  good  and  the  bad,  of  the  same  thing. 
His  words  do  still  cleave  their  way  to  the  inmost 
convictions  of  every  living  and  dying  man,  as  no 
other  words  ever  did,  or  can.  Many  others  since 
9* 


102  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

his  day  have,  like  hiin,  reasoned  of  righteousness, 
temperance,  and  a  judgment  to  come,  so  as  to  make 
the  wicked  tremble  on  the  very  throne  of  power. 
But  these  have  done  it  in  his  name,  and  in  virtue 
of  his  authority  and  example. 

It  was  for  his  fidelity,  therefore,  to  truth  and 
righteousness,  that  is,  for  his  doctrines  and  his 
virtues,  that  the  world  put  him  to  death.  "  The 
world  cannot  hate  you,"  said  he.;  "but  me  it  hateth 
because  I  testify  of  it,  that  the  works  thereof  are 
evil."  And  this  unceasing  testimony  he  had  given 
both  by  his  words  and  his  virtues.  His  holy  doc- 
trines reproved  its  thousand  falsehoods ;  and  his 
holy  life  condemned  its  deep  and  dark  depravity. 
As  Socrates,  at  Athens,  centuries  before,  had  suf- 
fered death  without  a  crime,  save  that  his  doctrines 
and  his  virtues  rendered  him  obnoxious  to  his  fellow 
citizens ;  so  our  blessed  Lord  at  Jerusalem,  by  a 
similar  mode  of  treatment,  but  on  an  infinitely 
higher  field  of  truth  and  virtue,  was  rejected,  be- 
trayed, and  crucified  by  those  who  could  lay  no  sin 
to  his  charge. 

But  this  would  be  to  look  at  the  death  of  Jesus 
from  the  human  side  alone;  and  to  account  for  it 
on  the  low  ground  of  a  depraved  human  agency. 
Many  noble  martyrs  have  died  for  their  opinions 
and  their  virtues  in  this  degenerate  world.  It  has 
been  no  uncommon  thing  thus  to  die;  at  least  since 
his  death.  This,  however,  would  give  us  no  satis- 
factory reason  for  his  death,  looking  at  it  from  the 


HIS  SUFFERIXGS  AND  DEATH.       103 

side  of  his  Divinity.  This  alone  could  never  account 
for  the  occurrence  of  such  a  death  as  a  part  of  tlie 
great  unfolding  scheme  of  Providence,  and  of  the 
world's  redemption.  There  is  an  infinitely  higher 
solution.  There  was  an  infinitely  grander  agency 
at  work.  Wicked  men  committed  the  awful  deed ; 
but  God  permitted  and  ordained  the  great  event, 
for  the  accomplishment  of  his  eternal  purposes  of 
mercy  to  our  ruined  race.  The  Apostle  Peter  gave 
the  great  reason  on  the  day  of  Pentecost :  "  Him 
being  delivered,  by  the  determinate  counsel  and 
foreknowledge  of  God,  ye  have  taken,  and  by  wicked 
hands  have  crucified  and  slain."  It  was  no  mere 
martyr's  death  he  died — no  patriot's  immolation  for 
his  country's  good — no  grand  moral  spectacle  to  the 
universe,  of  virtue  suffering  wrongfully  for  virtue's 
sake.  Whatever  there  was  of  this  nature  in  it  was 
the  least  part  of  it.  This  was  merely  incidental  to 
it,  and  not  the  chief  end  and  object  of  it.  But  it 
was  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin — not  his  own  but  the  sins 
of  others — that  Jesus  died.  It  was  as  the  incarnate 
Son  of  God,  man's  Surety,  and  the  Mediator  be- 
tween God  and  man,  that  he  died.  He  died  a  vi- 
carious death.  He  died  to  satisfy  the  claims  of 
God's  broken  laAv  in  behalf  of  all  who  believe  in 
him,  and  thus  to  secure  a  righteousness  for  them  on 
the  ground  of  which  they  may  be  justified  and 
saved.  He  died  an  atoning  death,  to  make  recon- 
ciliation for  the  sins  of  his  people.  For  the  iniquity 
of  his  people  was  he  stricken ;  for  the  redemption 


104  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

of  sinners  through  the  blood  of  his  cross,  was  he 
cut  off;  "He  hath  borne  our  griefs  and  carried  our 
sorrows;  with  his  stripes  we  are  healed,  and  the 
Lord  hath  laid  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all."  Thus 
was  it  written  by  the  prophets,  and  thus  did  it  be- 
hove Christ  to  suffer.  The  Scriptures  do  not  more 
clearly  set  before  us  the  great  fact  of  his  death, 
than  they  do  the  great  end  and  purpose  of  that 
death.  "  He  hath  made  him  who  knew  no  sin,  to  be 
sin  for  us,  that  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness 
of  God  in  him." 

He  came  into  the  world,  therefore,  not  simply  to 
suffer  and  die  with  us,  but  to  suffer  and  die  for  us — 
to  suffer  and  die  for  us  as  no  other  man  ever  did,  or 
ever  can.  It  was  not  simply  by  his  example,  to 
show  us  how  to  suffer  and  die ;  to  encourage  us  in 
suffering  and  dying ;  and  to  sustain  us  in  such  sac- 
rifices. Any  other  martyr  could  have  done  this. 
A  thousand  others  have  done  it.  We  are,  at  all 
times,  compassed  about  by  a  great  cloud  of  such 
witnesses.  But  he  came  to  do  infinitely  more  for 
us  than  this — infinitely  more  than  all  the  martyrs 
and  confessors  of  all  generations  could  ever  do. 
He  came  to  suffer  and  die  for  our  sins,  in  the  sense 
of  paying  the  awful  penalty  due  to  them,  bearing 
the  curse  of  the  law,  atoning  for  our  guilt,  and  se- 
curing our  pardon  and  justification.  He  came  into 
the  world  then  for  the  purpose  of  suffering  and  dy- 
ing. Thus  it  became  necessary,  or  behoved  him 
to  suffer.     Unlike  all  other  human  lives  and  deaths 


HIS  SUFFERINGS  AND  DEATH.       105 

— his  death  was  not  the  mere  natural  end  and  con- 
sequence of  living,  but  it  was  the  grand,  foreseen 
and  determinate  purpose  for  which  he  lived.  Ilis 
-life  was  but  preparatory  to  his  death,  as  his  death 
was  to  his  resurrection  and  eternal  glory.  lie  be- 
came incarnate,  and  lived  a  life  of  self-denial  and 
suffering,  in  order  that  he  might  die  the  death  of  a 
vicarious  sacrifice  for  sin.  In  a  word,  the  great 
work  which  he  came  into  the  world  to  accomplish, 
was  a  work  of  suffering  and  death,  and  there  was 
no  way  in  which  it  could  be  finished,  except  by 
passing  through  them. 

Hence  we  find  the  Scriptures  everywhere  refer- 
rinor  our  salvation  to  the  death  of  Christ,  the  blood 
of  Christ,  the  cross  of  Christ.  It  is  not  that  his 
labours,  in  working  out  our  salvation,  were  restricted 
to  the  cross  and  to  the  hour  of  death.  His  whole 
life  of  spotless  obedience  to  the  law  of  God,  formed 
a  necessary  part  of  his  atoning  work.  For  it  be- 
came him  to  magnify  the  law  and  make  it  honourable, 
as  well  as  to  suffer  its  penalty  in  the  room  of  those 
who  had  broken  and  dishonoured  it.  But  it  is  be- 
cause the  shedding  of  his  blood  by  the  death  of  the 
cross  was  the  great  consummation  of  all  his  acts,  all 
his  sufferings.  The  labours  and  the  sufferings  that 
had  gone  before,  found  their  climax  and  completion 
when  with  his  dying  breath  he  said.  It  is  finished. 
So  that  from  that  moment,  the  cross  became  the 
very  symbol  and  formula  of  all  that  Jesus  did  and 
suffered  in  the  flesh  as  our  Mediator.     The  great 


106  THE   BEAUTY   OF  IMMANUEL. 

idea  of  the  work  of  Christ  is  that  of  suffering. 
Hence  the  apostle  says  to  the  Hebrews,  "  It  became 
him  for  whom  are  all  things  and  by  whom  are  all 
things,  in  bringing  many  sons  unto  glory,  to  make 
the  captain  of  their  salvation  perfect  through  suffer- 
ings." Hence  he  said  to  his  disciples,  when  these 
sufferings  were  over,  "  Thus  it  was  necessary,  and 
thus  it  behoved  Christ  to  suffer."  So  Paul  could 
say  to  the  Corinthians,  "I  determined  not  to  know 
anything  among  you  save  Jesus  Christ  and  him 
crucified;"  and  to  the  Galatians,  "  God  forbid  that 
I  should  glory  save  in  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  Indeed  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  which 
had  been  for  ages  the  theme  of  prophecy,  from 
David  to  Isaiah,  and  from  Isaiah  to  Zechariah,  be- 
come in  the  New  Testament  the  prominent  and 
inexhaustible  subject  of  all  his  apostles.  The 
preaching  of  the  gospel  is  the  preaching  of  the  cross. 
For  the  joy  set  before  him,  he  endured  the  cross, 
despising  ihe  shame  ;  and  it  is  through  the  blood  of 
the  cross  that  he  hath  made  peace  between  God 
and  man,  and  reconciled  all  things  unto  himself, 
whether  they  be  things  in  earth  or  things  in 
heaven. 

It  is  true  that  our  Saviour's  life  had  something 
of  joy  as  well  as  suffering.  No  holy  heart,  however 
oppressed  and  burdened  with  others'  woes,  can  be 
utterly  without  joy.  It  can  glory  even  in  tribula- 
tions ;  it  can  rejoice  in  conscious  innocence  and  in 
a  sense  of  God's  favour  amid  its  very  tears.     So  in 


HIS  SUFFERINGS  AND  DEATH.        lOT 

his  suffering  and  sorrowful  life  there  were  some 
gleams  of  bright,  celestial  joy,  notwithstanding  the 
dark  eclipse  which  necessarily  excluded  his  Divine 
nature  from  mortal  view.  There  were  times  when 
Jesus  rejoiced  in  Spirit  and  said,  "I  thank  thee,  0 
Pather,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  because  thou 
hast  hid  these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and 
hast  revealed  them  unto  babes :  even  so,  Father, 
for  so  it  seemed  good  in  thy  sight." 

Still  the  predominant  feature,  both  of  his  life 
and  of  his  death,  that  is,  of  the  whole  period  of 
his  humiliation  from  the  manger  to  the  cross,  was 
suffering,  self-denial,  sacrifice.  It  is  not  possible 
for  any  human  mind  to  know,  or  even  to  conjecture, 
all  that  a  boly  being,  constituted  as  he  was  and  dy- 
ing the  death  he  died,  must  have  endured  in  the 
way  of  suffering.  Nevertheless,  with  the  sacred 
narrative  before  us,  we  may  get  some  idea  of  it,  by 
considering  carefully  some  of  the  many  elements 
which  made  up  that  bitter  cup.  And  to  do  this  we 
must  take  into  account  those  which  preceded  as  well 
as  those  which  attended  his  dying  hours. 

The  first  element  of  his  sufferings  was  the  deep 
poverty  and  privation  of  his  life.  This  began  in 
the  manger  of  Bethlehem,  and  it  followed  him  to 
the  tomb.  "  Ye  know  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,"  says  an  apostle,  "  that  whereas  he  was  rich, 
yet  for  our  sakes  he  became  poor."  Being  originally 
"  in  the  form  of  God,  and  counting  it  no  robbery  to 
be  equal  with  God,  he  made  himself  of  no  reputa- 


108  THE    BEAUTY   OP   IMMANUEL. 

tion,  and  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant,  and 
was  found  in  the  likeness  of  men."  He  emptied 
himself  of  all  his  titles,  all  his  honours,  all  his  riches, 
and  became  a  man  of  poverty,  who  had  not  where 
to  lay  his  head  while  living,  and  in  death  was  buried 
in  the  tomb  of  his  friend.  Though  Lord  of  all, 
and  rightful  possessor  of  the  riches  of  the  universe, 
he  yet  on  earth  toiled  for  his  daily  bread  till  his 
public  ministry  began,  and  during  that  ministry  was 
supplied  from  day  to  day  in  a  manner  that  could 
not  be  unattended  with  hardship  and  want.  What- 
ever degree  of  mental  or  of  physical  suffering  may 
be  conceived  of  as  attending  this  voluntary  surren- 
der of  all  the  bliss  of  heaven,  and  all  the  comforts 
of  earth,  for  a  life  of  extreme  dependence  and  of 
pinching  penury,  may  well  be  regarded  as  forming 
at  least  one  of  the  ingredients  of  that  bitter  cup, 
which  our  blessed  Lord  had  to  drink.  With  what 
sadness,  with  what  tenderness,  and  yet  with  what 
uncomplaining  submission  does  he  say,  "  The  foxes 
have  holes  and  the  birds  of  the  air  have  nests,  but 
the  Son  of  man  hath  not  where  to  lay  his  head  !" 

The  next  element  was  the  humiliation  and  shame 
that  in  the  eyes  of  an  ungodly  world  attended  such 
a  life  and  such  a  death.  "  Being  found  in  fashion 
as  a  man,  he  humbled  himself  and  became  obedient 
unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross."  He  was 
despised  and  rejected  by  men  ;  he  was  despised  and 
we  esteemed  him  not.  "  The  reproaches  of  them 
that  reproached  thee  fell  on  me."     In  all  his  ca- 


HIS    SUFFERINGS   AND   DEATH.  109 

reer  he  had  to  encounter  the  opposition,  the  derision, 
the  insults  of  a  wicked  world.  And  he  had  to  bear 
it  alone.  There  was  none  to  cheer  him,  none  to 
succour,  none  to  defend  his  injured  character.  Con- 
sider him,  says  an  apostle,  who  endured  such  con- 
tradiction of  sinners  against  himself.  He  stood 
and  proclaimed  the  truth  of  God  in  the  midst  of  a 
crooked  and  perverse  generation,  and  at  every  step 
of  his  pathway  he  was  watched  by  malignant  foes, 
who  were  plotting  his  destruction,  and  doing  every 
thing  in  their  power  to  blacken  and  blast  his  char- 
acter. For  three  years  he  bore  this  cross,  despising 
the  shame.  And  when  at  last  his  hour  was  come, 
he  died  amid  scenes  of  mockery  and  insult,  in  which 
all  that  Jew  and  Gentile,  earth  and  hell  could  do, 
was  done  to  pour  contempt  upon  his  suffering  soul. 
Forsaken  by  his  friends,  scourged,  mocked,  crowned 
with  thorns  by  the  officers  of  justice,  laughed  to 
scorn,  taunted,  and  spit  upon  by  his  relentless  per- 
secutors, and  dragged  away  faint  and  bleeding  to 
the  place  of  execution  ;  he  is  nailed  by  merciless  and 
ruffian  hands  to  the  accursed  cross  of  a  Roman 
slave,  and  hung  up  betAveen  two  thieves,  with  every 
possible  circumstance  of  disgrace  and  torture  that 
human  ingenuity  could  invent  to  heap  infamy  upon 
its  dying  victim. 

Another   element    of  his   suffering   life    was    its 
ceaseless  toil.    From  the  opening  of  his  public  min- 
istry till  its  close  in  death  he  never  rested.    His  Avhole 
life  was  spent  in  the  two  great  departments  of  his 
10 


110  THE    BEAUTY    OF   IMMANUEL. 

labour — healing  the  maladies  of  the  body,  and  the 
deeper  maladies  of  the  soul.  His  disciples,  at  times, 
besought  him  to  rest  and  to  take  food.  But  his  an- 
swer was  :  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him  that 
sent  me,  and  to  finish  his  work.  I  must  work  while 
the  day  lasts ;  the  night  cometh  when  no  man  can 
work.  I  have  a  baptism  to  be  baptized  with,  and 
how  am  I  straitened  till  it  be  accomplished  ?  The 
zeal  of  thine  house  hath  consumed  me.  Hence  we 
find  him  everywhere  thronged  by  the  vast  multi- 
tudes that  had  come  to  be  healed,  and  to  hear  his 
preaching.  He  went  about  doing  good,  preaching 
in  all  the  cities  and  villages,  instructing  all  who 
came  to  him,  attending  upon  all  the  great  festivals 
at  Jerusalem  ;  and  the  probability  is  strong,  that 
during  the  few  years  of  his  public  ministry,  all  his 
cotemporaries  both  in  Judea  and  Galilee,  as  well  as 
strangers  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  had  heard  bis 
matchless  instructions  and  seen  his  mighty  works. 
Never  was  there  on  earth  a  more  active,  self-de- 
voted, and  laborious  life.  His  days  were  consumed 
in  toil,  and  whole  nights  in  prayer  to  God 

"  Cold  mountains  and  the  midnight  air 
Witnessed  the  fervour  of  his  prayer, 
The  deserts  his  temptations  knew, 
His  conflicts  and  his  victory  too." 

Another  bitter  ingredient  in  his  cup  of  suffering, 
was  that  mysterious  agony  which  oppressed  him  in 
immediate  view  of  the  cross.      In  the  garden  of 


HIS    SUFFERINGS    AND    DEATH.  Ill 

Gethsemane,  on  the  night  of  his  betrayal,  before  a 
single  pang  of  death  had  come,  there  was  an  awful 
crushing  weight  of  woo  upon  his  holy  soul,  which 
seemed  to  fill  him  with  an  unearthly  and  unutter- 
able sorrow,  and  caused  his  bodily  frame  to  sweat 
drops  of  blood.  This  mental  anguish,  the  fit  expo- 
nent of  that  load  of  imputed  guilt  Avhich  he  was 
bearing  for  a  lost  world,  and  which  revealed  its 
power  so  fully  in  the  garden,  was  not  indeed  lim- 
ited to  that  dark  hour.  It  had,  doubtless,  been  his 
daily  and  nightly  companion  long  before,  and  during 
all  his  ministry.  Omniscient  as  he  was,  and  fore- 
seeing the  end  from  the  beginning,  with  all  the  vivid 
distinctness  that  we  perceive  present  or  past  events, 
the  whole  scene  of  death  was  ever  present  to  his 
thoughts ;  and  it  is  impossible  that  he  should  not 
often,  especially  when  alone,  have  suffered  the  same 
agony  that  oppressed  him  in  the  garden.  For 
during  all  his  life,  as  well  as  on  the  cross,  he  bore 
our  griefs  and  carried  our  sorrows,  because  the  Lord 
had  laid  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all.  On  the  mount 
of  transfiguration  he  had  talked  with  Moses  and 
Elias  of  that  decease  which  he  should  accomplish 
at  Jerusalem  ;  and  we  have  the  record  of  many  dif- 
ferent occasions  on  which  he  had  plainly  told  his 
disciples,  that  he  must  go  up  to  Jerusalem,  to  be 
betrayed  by  the  rulers,  delivered  to  the  Gentiles, 
and  crucified.  All  this  long  anticipated  and  new 
sorrow  of  the  soul,  in  immediate  foresight  of  death, 
and  under  the  infliction  of  Divine  wrath  against  the 


112  THE    BEAUTY    OF  IMMANUEL. 

sinner's  substitute,  comes  upon  him  in  the  garden 
and  at  the  deepest  gloom  of  midnight.  And  he 
has  to  bear  it  ahjne,  unsupported  and  uncheered, 
save  as  he  is  strengthened  for  the  trial  by  the  min- 
istering angels  of  God,  The  world,  for  which  he  is 
about  to  die,  is  asleep  ;  his  disciples,  the  companions 
of  his  three  years'  toils,  are  all  heavy  with  sleep, 
Jerusalem,  the  city  of  his  love,  is  profoundly  asleep, 
all  save  those  murderous  bands  that  are  moving  at 
this  lone  hour  towards  his  place  of  sorrow.  And 
there  he  is  in  the  garden's  deepest  shade,  in  the 
midst  of  his  sleeping  disciples,  prostrate  on  the 
ground,  sweating,  as  it  were,  great  drops  of  blood 
falling  down  to  the  ground,  now  breaking  the  silence 
with  the  cry,  "  My  soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful  even 
unto  death,"  and  now  with  the  thrice  offered  prayer 
to  the  Father,  "  If  it  be  possible  let  this  cup  pass 
from  me ;  nevertheless  not  my  will  but  thine  be 
be  done."  Here  was  sorrow,  here  was  suffering 
such  as  mortal  heart  had  never  felt — such  as  no  fin- 
ite mind  can  fi-dly  fathom, 

"  It  was  a  dark  and  fearful  hour, 

The  stars  might  well  grow  dim, 
When  this  mortality  had  power 

So  to  o'ershadow  him  ; 
That  he  who  gave  man's  breath  might  know 
The  very  depths  of  human  woe." 

The  next  element  to  be  noticed  in  our  Saviour's 
sufferings  was  the  physical  torture  of  his  crucifixion. 
Outside  of  the  dungeons  of  a  Roman  Catholic  In- 


HIS  SUFFERINGS  AND  DEATH.       113 

quisition,  there  has  probably  never  been  devised  by 
man,  a  mode  of  death  more  dreadful  and  excruciat- 
ing than  that  of  the  cross.  Indeed  the  intensest 
torture  both  of  body  and  mind,  we  are  accustomed 
to  describe  by  this  very  term,  excruciating,  which 
is  derived  from  the  cross.  But  in  our  Saviour's 
case,  besides  all  the  common  and  inevitable  horrors 
of  such  a  death — its  ignominy,  its  laceration  of  the 
flesh,  its  exhaustion,  its  thirst,  its  lingering  agony 
— there  was  added  every  thing  in  the  way  of  in- 
sult, derision,  and  cruel  torture  which  a  diabolical 
rage  could  invent  to  augment  his  sufferings.  To 
such  an  extent  was  this  carried,  that  the  insane  ma- 
lignity of  his  foes  defeated  itself,  and  brought  on  a 
premature  and  unexpected  sinking  of  his  vital  pow- 
ers. So  that  the  scene  of  torture,  which  in  ordi- 
nary cases,  was  protracted  through  several  days, 
was  terminated  in  his  case  by  death  in  a  few  hours. 
In  the  fresh  vigour  of  health  and  in  the  strength  of 
manhood,  he  is  arrested  at  dead  of  night,  brought 
to  trial  with  the  early  dawn,  hurried  before  the  bar 
of  the  Sanhedrim,  then  before  Pilate's  bar,  then  be- 
fore Herod  and  his  men  of  war,  and  then  back  to 
Pilate,  and  then  again  through  the  streets  of  the 
city  to  the  hill  of  death,  bearing  his  cross;  and 
through  all  these  scenes  he  is  so  maltreated,  by 
being  scourged  with  rods,  smitten  on  the  head, 
pierced  with  a  crown  of  thorns,  reviled  and  spit 
upon,  that  when  at  last  exhausted  with  fatigue,  and 
faint  with  loss  of  blood,  he  is  nailed  to  the  cross, 
10* 


114  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

liis  poor  crushed  nature  yields  to  the  load  of  agony, 
and  he  expires  in  from  three  to  six  hours.  The 
probability  is  that  it  was  the  shorter  period,  for 
■while  the  evangelists  vary  as  to  the  beginning  of 
this  dread  drama,  some  speaking  of  the  sixth  hour, 
and  some  of  the  third,  they  agree  that  there  was 
darkness  over  all  the  land  from  the  sixth  to  the 
ninth  hour ;  so  that  we  have  reason  to  think,  our 
blessed  Lord  was  nailed  to  the  cross  about  the  sixth 
hour  or  mid-day,  and  expired  about  the  ninth  hour, 
near  the  time  of  the  evening  sacrifice,  and  thus  suf- 
fered during  the  three  awful  hours  of  this  supernat- 
ural darkness.  But  in  either  event  he  suffered  all 
that  human  malignity  could  inflict  in  the  way  of 
torture,  and  all  that  was  required  to  extinguish  such 
a  life.  There  is  no  page  in  human  history,  no  re- 
cord of  human  sufferings,  which  recounts  a  scene 
more  calculated  to  touch  the  heart  by  its  graphic 
grouping  of  all  that  was  dreadful  in  the  persecutor, 
with  all  that  was  sacred  and  tender  in  the  sufferer, 
than  this  story  of  the  passion  of  our  Lord. 

But  another  still,  and  probably  the  bitterest  of 
all  the  ingredients  in  our  Saviour's  cup  of  suffering, 
was  the  hiding  of  his  Father's  face  in  that  dread 
hour  of  agony.  While  his  fi\int  and  bleeding  body 
was  suffering  all  that  it  could  suffer  at  the  hands  of 
man,  his  pure  and  holy  soul  was  suffering  still  more 
under  the  awful  hidings  of  his  Father's  face.  It 
was  something  of  this  kind,  no  doubt,  realized  or 
anticipated,  that,  on  the  night  before,  had  so  over- 


HIS  SUFFERINGS  AND  DEATH.       115 

powered  him,  when  he  sweat  great  drops  of  blood, 
and  said,  "My  soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful,  even 
unto  death."  But  now,  in  his  extremity,  when  dis- 
solving nature  hangs  helpless  on  the  cross,  when 
earth  and  hell  have  risen  in  league  against  him, 
when  all  human  helpers  have  forsaken  him  and  fled, 
save  one  trembling  disciple  and  his  heart-broken 
mother  with  her  female  attendants — now  when 
earth's  deepest  darkness  has  gathered  over  his  dying 
head,  that  favour,  and  love,  and  fellowship  which 
from  all  eternity  he  had  enjoyed  with  his  Father 
seems  to  be  withdrawn,  and  the  very  heavens  arc 
turned  to  wrath.  All  the  waves  and  billows  of 
Divine  wrath  seem  to  be  passing  over  his  head,  and 
he  is  left  alone  to  struggle  Avith  that  overwhelming 
despair  which,  but  for  him,  had  been  poured  for  ever 
upon  the  soul  of  sinful  man.  His  last  words  had 
been  spoken,  his  last  charges  given  to  his  weeping 
mother  and  the  loved  disciple,  his  last  promise  to 
the  penitent  thief  had  been  uttered,  his  last  petition 
had  been  offered  up  for  his  foes  :  "  Father,  forgive 
them,  they  know  not  what  they  do ;"  the  raging, 
scoffing  multitude  around  had  exhausted  all  their 
vials  of  wrath  upon  him,  and  now,  it  seemed  that 
nothing  remained  but  to  die.  But  at  this  awful 
moment  there  is  a  loud  and  bitter  cry,  as  of  one 
sinking  in  despair.  "And,  at  the  ninth  hour,"  says 
the  evangelist,  "Jesus  cried  with  a  loud  voice, 
saying,  Eloi,  Eloi,  lama,  sabacthani !  which  is, 
being  interpreted,  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou 
forsaken  me  ?" 


116  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IIMMANUEL. 

And  here  we  may  well  veil  our  faces  in  astonish- 
ment, and  hush  our  lips  to  silence.  No  mortal 
tongue  may  tell  of  the  nature  or  the  extent  of  that 
suffering  which  thus  in  death  weighed  down  the 
Spirit  of  the  Son  of  God.  The  Scriptures  have 
left  it  in  impenetrable  mystery.  The  human  mind 
is  incapable  of  comprehending  it.  All  that  we 
know,  or  perhaps  could  know  in  our  present  state, 
is  that  he  suffered  not  thus  for  himself.  To  his  pure 
and  holy  soul,  death  itself  could  have  had  no  ter- 
rors. To  him  death  would  have  been  but  the  gate 
of  endless  joy ;  and  instead  of  this  cry  of  despair, 
there  would  have  been  but  songs  of  triumph.  It 
was  because  he  was  bearing  in  his  body  on  the 
cross  the  sins  of  the  whole  world,  dying  the  Just 
for  the  unjust,  and  receiving  into  his  bosom  the 
awful  curse  of  the  violated  law,  which,  for  the  time, 
shut  out  from  his  view  every  ray  of  the  Divine 
favour — it  was  because  he  stood  in  our  place  and 
died  our  death,  that  there  was  for  a  season  poured 
out  upon  his  devoted  and  vicarious  head  the  unmiti- 
gated wrath  of  God  against  sin.  This  was  the 
burden  of  his  fearful  passion.  "  Thus  it  was  written, 
and  thus  it  behoved  Christ  to  suffer,  and  to  enter 
into  his  rest."  But  this  storm  of  wrath  was  soon 
passed.  And  then  he  said,  "It  is  finished."  And 
when  he  had  cried  again  with  aloud  A'oice,  "Father, 
into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit,"  he  bowed  his 
head  and  gave  up  the  ghost. 


HIS    RESURRECTION   AND   ASCENSION.  117 


CHAPTER    IX. 

HIS    RESURRECTION    AND    ASCENSION. 

The  story  of  the  cross,  whilst  it  is  the  most 
tragical,  is  yet  the  most  glorious  in  the  annals  of 
history.  The  sufferer  becomes  a  conqueror,  even 
in  his  death ;  because  he  dies  to  rise  again  tri- 
umphant and  victorious  over  all  his  foes.  Where 
the  historic  record  of  all  other  men  ends,  that  of 
Jesus  begins  with  a  new  and  nobler  life.  With  him 
the  pangs  of  death  and  the  three  days  of  imprison- 
ment in  the  sepulchre  were  but  the  door  of  entrance 
for  his  glorified  humanity,  into  that  sublime  and 
exalted  estate  in  which  there  is  no  suffering  and  no 
death  for  ever. 

It  is  impossible  for  us  to  appreciate  fully  the 
feelings  of  his  disciples  as  they  passed  through  the 
sad  scenes  of  his  crucifixion.  We  can  never,  even 
in  imagination,  stand  under  that  crashing  grief  and 
despair  which  pressed  them  down,  when  hope  after 
hope  departed,  and  they,  at  last,  beheld  the  beloved 
Master,  on  whom  all  their  fondest  affections  centred, 
expire  on  the  cross.  Because  we  know  what  they 
did  not.  We  know  the  end  from  the  beginning. 
We  see  the  cross  and  the  crown  together.     We  read 


118  THE    BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

the  sad  story  of  suffering  and  woe  in  the  light  and 
the  joy  of  his  resurrection  morning.  The  rising 
sun  of  the  third  day  does  for  us  what  it  could  not 
do  for  them — it  throws  back  a  halo  of  glory  which 
gilds  the  Saviour's  tomb,  and  dispels  for  us  all 
those  doubts  and  fears  which  had  gathered  over 
their  souls,  as  the  gloom  of  midnight.  Still,  with 
the  glorious  issue  full  in  view,  there  is  a  deathless 
pathos  to  all  hearts,  in  the  story  of  the  cross. 
Though  we  know  that  the  third  day  morning  shall 
be  as  life  from  the  dead,  shall  dry  up  our  tears  and 
tell  of  our  great  deliverer's  almighty  power,  and 
pour  again  the  sweet  radiance  of  hope  into  the 
broken  hearts  of  his  scattered  disciples,  still  there 
is  a  touching  tenderness  in  the  sufferings  of  Jesus, 
which  the  millions  yet  to  come,  as  the  millions  who 
have  gone  before,  can  read  of  only  with  tearful 
eyes. 

No  doubt,  some  of  his  disciples  cherished- a  hope, 
even  to  the  last,  that  his  life  would  be  spared;  that 
in  some  way  he  would  exert  his  mighty  power,  even 
on  the  cross,  to  the  confusion  and  overthrow  of  all 
his  enemies.  Judas  himself,  probably,  had  some 
idea  of  this  sort  when  he  betrayed  him  ;  and  this 
may  have  been  one  reason  why  the  traitor  was  so 
overwhelmed  when  he  saw  that  instead  of  bein<2;  de- 
livered  by  his  miraculous  powers,  he  was  actually 
sentenced  and  led  out  to  death.  Though  the  guilty 
traitor  had,  in  despair,  hung  himself,  we  cannot 
suppose  that  his  faithful  and  loving  disciples  could 


HIS   RESURRECTION   AND   ASCENSION,  119 

Lave  lost  all  hope  of  dcHverance,  so  long  as  life  lin- 
gered in  the  sufferer.  Scattered  and  dismayed  as 
they  all  were  by  the  rude  midnight  arrest  of  their 
Master,  some  of  them,  nevertheless,  had  gathered 
sufficient  courage  and  hope  to  follow  him  through 
all  the  scenes  of  the  trial,  and  to  the  very  place  of 
execution.  Wherever  they  may  have  stood  among 
the  crowd,  near  by  or  distant  from  the  cross,  in 
silence  and  fear,  watching  every  shifting  scene  of 
the  dreadful  tragedy,  it  could  not  be  otherwise  than 
that  they  should  have  prayed,  and  expected,  even  to 
the  last  moment,  that  he  would  come  down  from  the 
cross.  Because  they  had  for  three  years  seen  too 
many  manifestations  of  his  Divine  power,  not  to 
know  that  with  him  nothing  was  impossible.  He 
saved  others,  even  after  death  had  done  its  work ; 
and  why  might  he  not  save  himself  from  the  ap- 
proach of  death  ? 

But  when  they  saw  him  die,  apparently  before 
the  usual  time  of  death  by  crucifixion ;  when,  after 
three  hours  of  supernatural  darkness  veiling  the 
hill  of  death,  and  three  hours  of  unparalleled  suf- 
ferings, they  heard  his  last  words,  "Father,  into  thy 
hands  I  commend  my  spirit,"  and  saw  him  bow  his 
head  and  give  up  the  ghost — as  they  gazed  in  help- 
less agony  upon  the  pale,  still  form  of  their  beloved 
Lord,  every  ray  of  hope  must  have  departed  from 
their  stricken  hearts,  and  they  were  left  in  utter 
desolation.     They  thought  it  had  been  he  who  should 


120  THE   BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

have  redeemed  Israel.  But  they  could  think  so  no 
longer  now ! 

As  the  sun  of  that  awful  day  went  down  thus  in 
darkness  and  blood,  all  their  hopes  of  earthly,  and, 
perhaps,  of  celestial  glory,  Avent  down  w'th  it. 
What  a  night  was  that  in  Jerusalem !  What  a  nio;ht 
to  Peter  and  John !  to  Lazarus  and  his  sisters !  to 
Mary  Magdalene  and  his  own  heart-broken  mother! 
As  they  met  one  another  that  night  or  the  next 
Sabbath  day,  and  ventured  to  recount  the  scenes  of 
trial  and  death  they  had  witnessed,  to  tell  of  his 
last  words,  his  last  looks,  and  his  dying  agony,  how 
their  hearts  must  have  sunk  at  the  sorrowful  recital ! 
The  Scripture  is  silent  as  to  all  that  they  did,  said, 
and  suffered  during  this  period.  All  that  we  know 
about  their  feelings  we  learn  from  the  record  of 
Luke,  that  "many  beholding  the  things  that  were 
done,  smote  their  breasts  and  returned;"  and  from 
the  words  of  Jesus  to  two  of  them  after  he  was  risen, 
"What  manner  of  communications  are  these  that  ye 
have,  one  to  another,  as  ye  walk,  and  are  sad?" 
But  that  they  cherished  his  memory  with  an  intense 
and  undying  affection,  we  may  safely  infer,  not  only 
from  the  honourable  burial  he  received  at  the  hands 
of  Joseph  and  Nicodemus,  and  the  costly  prepara- 
tions of  the  women  for  embalming  his  body,  but 
from  all  the  incidents  connected  with  the  amazing 
scenes  of  the  resurrection,  the  forty  days'  sojourn 
with  them,  and  his  glorious  ascension  to  heaven. 

Though  our  Saviour  had  repeatedly  foretold   the 


HIS    RESURRECTION    AND    ASCENSION.  121 

mannei'  of  his  death,  and  declared  plainly  to  his 
disciples  that  he  would  rise  again  the  third  day,  still 
the  scenes  of  his  trial  and  crucifixion  were  so  ex- 
traordinary and  overwhelming,  that  they  seem  to 
have  obliterated  all  thought  or  expectation  of  this 
kind,  as  effectually  as  if  he  had  never  spoken  a 
syllable  on  the  subject.  Wiiile  his  enemies  remem- 
bered these  predictions,  and  resorted  to  all  possible 
safeguards  against  being  imposed  upon  by  his 
friends,  there  is  no  indication  that  in  all  Jerusalem 
he  had  a  single  disciple  or  friend  who  once  thought 
of  his  rising  again.  The  loving  women,  who,  if  any 
on  earth,  would  have  clung  to  such  a  hope,  instead 
of  thinking  of  a  resurrection,  went  at  the  appointed 
hour  to  the  grave  to  embalm  his  dead  body.  And 
so  far  was  such  a  thought  from  their  minds,  that  the 
most  ardent  of  them  all,  Mary  Magdalene,  even 
when  she  saw  the  stone  rolled  away  from  the 
sepulchre,  the  grave  clothes  lying  alone,  and  two 
angels  sitting  on  the  spot  where  the  body  had  lain, 
still  inquired  of  him,  whom  she  supposed  the 
gardener,  where  he  had  borne  away  the  dead  body. 
Indeed,  as  if  to  account  for  that  strange  forgetful- 
ness  of  his  predictions,  and  slowness  of  heart  to  be- 
lieve, Avhich  had  taken  possession  of  their  minds, 
the  sacred  writers  tell  us  expressly  that  his  disciples 
did  not  understand  the  Scripture  that  he  should  rise 
again. 

Under  these  circumstances,  how  convincing  must 
have  been  the  proof  which  overcame  this  reluctance 
II 


122  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

to  believe,  and  how  overpowering  the  joy,  when,  on 
the  third  day,  the  strange  tidings  got  wing,  and  flew 
from  heart  to  heart,  that  Jesus  was  alive  again. 
Never,  perhaps,  in  the  history  of  mankind,  was 
there  a  day  of  such  joy  to  so  many  desolate  hearts, 
as  that  first  day  of  the  week  in  Jerusalem.  The 
accounts  given  by  the  evangelists  of  the  whole  scene 
— so  fragmentary,  so  full  of  rapid  movements,  so 
full  even  of  apparent  disorder  and  confusion,  differ- 
ent messengers  running  in  different  directions  with 
the  news,  some  meeting  and  some  missing  each 
other — are  in  perfect  keeping  with  all  that  is  natural 
on  an  occasion  so  marvellous,  and  so  fraught  with 
unspeakable  joy.  There  is  nothing  in  all  the  New 
Testament  truer  to  life  and  nature,  and  more  con- 
vincing by  all  its  internal  evidences,  than  the  man- 
ner in  which  this  story  of  the  resurrection  of  our 
Lord  is  told  by  the  different  evangelists.  If  such 
an  event  had  to  occur  a  thousand  times  over,  in  pre- 
cisely the  same,  or  similar,  circumstances,  it  could 
not  occur  without  producing  just  such  phenomena 
as  we  find  it  did  produce  among  the  saddened, 
despairing,  and  yet  loving  friends  of  Jesus — first 
the  slowness  of  heart  to  believe,  then  the  fright  and 
bewildered  astonishment,  then  the  eager  haste  to 
spread  the  tidings  before  the  whole  truth  was  known, 
then  the  unutterable  joy  which  the  great  fact  in- 
spired, and  then  some  appearance  of  discrepancy  in 
the    different    statements    made    by    the    different 


HIS   RESURRECTION   AND   ASCENSION.  123 

parties,  as  they  recounted  the  several  diiferent  parts 
of  the  scene. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  there  was  no  human 
spectator  of  our  Lord's  resurrection.  Ilis  disciples 
expected  no  such  event,  and  were  not  looking  for  it. 
It  occurred  at  an  hour  when  Jerusalem  was  all  quiet 
in  the  slumbers  of  the  early  moi'n.  The  keepers 
on  guard,  who  were  awake,  were  terrified  at  the  ap- 
parition of  angels,  and  became  as  dead  men.  And 
when  the  women  reached  the  spot,  it  was  only  to 
hear  the  announcement,  "  He  is  not  here ;  he  is 
risen  as  he  said ;  come  see  the  place  where  the  Lord 
lay."  But  the  stupendous  scene  was  past.  While 
men  slept,  and  ere  the  earthquake  had  rent  the  rocks 
and  broken  the  profound  stillness  of  his  three  days' 
sojourn  in  the  tomb,  the  conqueror  had  burst  asun- 
der all  its  bars  and  risen  to  life  again.  Thousands 
had  gazed  upon  him  in  the  deep  humiliation  of  the 
cross.  They  had  witnessed  all  his  agonies;  had 
heard  his  outcry ;  had  seen  him  die ;  had  followed 
him  to  the  burial.  But  no  mortal  eye  looked  on 
him,  as  in  might  and  majesty  he  rose  !  In  this  he 
was  seen  of  angels  alone.  They  were  his  witnesses. 
They  bore  testimony  of  the  fact  to  his  unbelieving 
disciples  one  after  another ;  and  they,  in  turn,  bore 
testimony  to  an  unbelieving  world.  And  thus  the 
most  wonderful  and  stupendous  event  in  the  history 
of  man — the  event  on  which  all  our  hopes  of  heaven 
depend,  was  at  the  first  received  on  testimony,  the 
testimony  of  angels  witnessing  it,  and  the  testimony 


124  THE    BKAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

of  his  disciples  reporting  to  others  what  they  had 
heard  and  seen. 

But  the  proof  was  not  to  end  with  this  testimony. 
Although  no  human  being  saw  him  rise  from  the 
dead,  yet  many  were  permitted  to  see  him,  to  con- 
verse with  him,  to  eat  with  him,  after  he  had  risen. 
To  see  one  die  and  laid  in  the  grave,  and  then  to 
see  him  alive  again,  is  as  perfect  an  evidence  of  his 
resurrection  as  to  behold  him  in  the  very  act  of 
rising.  And  this  evidence  the  apostles  had  re- 
peatedly, in  a  great  variety  of  circumstances  during 
a  period  of  forty  days.  In  this  sense  we  find  on 
different  occasions  from  one  to  five  hundred  eye- 
witnesses of  his  resurrection.  Luke  tells  us,  that 
to  his  chosen  apostles  he  showed  himself  alive  after 
his  passion  by  many  infallible  proofs,  being  seen  of 
them  forty  days,  and  speaking  of  the  things  per- 
taining to  the  kingdom  of  God.  We  have  an  ac- 
count of  at  least  ten  different  occasions  on  which 
he  appeared  to  some  one  or  more  of  his  disciples, 
during  this  period.  He  may  have  appeared  to  them 
on  many  other  occasions  of  which  we  have  no  re- 
cord. We  know  he  appeared  often  enough  to  con- 
vince the  most  sceptical  and  unbelieving  among 
them. 

His  first  appearance  was  to  Mary  Magdalene 
alone,  early  in  the  morning,  immediately  after  the 
other  women  had  gone  back  to  the  city  to  tell  the 
disciples  of  the  vision  of  angels  which  they  had 
seen   at  the  sepulchre.     It  is  a  pleasing  and  in- 


HIS    RESURRECTION    AND    ASCENSION.         125 

structive  fact  that  this  devoted  female  disciple, 
whose  chief  distinction  was  her  ardent  love,  should 
thus  be  honoured  with  the  first  interview  with  the 
risen  Redeemer.  The  interview  was  short,  but  full 
of  tender  pathos.  She  stood  weeping  in  the  gar- 
den, grieving  for  the  loss  of  the  absent  body,  for  it 
was  not  in  the  tomb,  and  she  knew  not  where  they 
had  laid  it.  The  living  Saviour  had  already  said, 
"  Woman,  why  weepest  thou?  whom  seekest  thou?" 
But  in  the  intensity  of  her  grief  she  knew  him  not. 
He  had,  however,  but  to  speak  her  name,  Mary, 
probably  in  that  very  tone  to  which  she  was  accus- 
tomed while  he  was  alive,  and  then  she  turned  and 
said  with  the  full  joyous  gush  of  recognition, 
"Rabboni!"  which  is  to  say,  Master!  Jesus  saitli 
unto  her,  doubtless  for  the  purpose  of  turning  her 
mind  from  all  mere  earthly  affections,  and  making 
her  feel  that  he  was  no  longer  an  inhabitant  of  this 
world,  "Touch  me  not;  for  I  am  not  yet  ascended 
to  my  Father;  but  go  to  my  brethren  and  say  unto 
them,  I  ascend  unto  my  Father  and  your  Father, 
and  to  my  God  and  your  God." 

His  second  appearance  was  immediately  after  this 
to  the  other  women,  Joanna,  Salome,  Mary  the 
mother  of  James  and  others,  as  they  were  on 
their  way  to  the  city,  when  he  met  them,  and 
said,  "All  hail."  And  they  came  and  held  him 
by  the  feet  and  worshipped  him.  In  this  embrace 
of  his  feet  there  was,  no  doubt,  the  homage  of  be- 
lieving, reverential,  and  adoring  worship ;  and  hence 
U  * 


126  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

he  receives  and  does  not  forbid  it,  as  he  had  just 
done  in  the  case  of  Mary  Magdalene,  Avhose  first 
gushing  emotions  of  joy  had  centered  upon  him 
more  as  an  earthly  friend  restored,  than  as  a  glori- 
fied God  and  Saviour.  Then  said  Jesus  unto  them, 
"Be  not  afraid;  (they  were  still  awed  by  his 
spiritual  majesty,)  go  tell  my  brethren  that  they  go 
into  Galilee,  and  there  shall  they  see  me." 

His  third  appearance  was  to  Simon  Peter,  some 
time  during  this  first  day  of  the  week  ;  for  in  the 
evening  of  that  day,  we  find,  as  the  two  disciples 
returned  from  Emmaus,  that  they  were  greeted  at 
Jerusalem  with  the  tidings,  "  The  Lord  is  risen,  in- 
deed, and  hath  appeared  unto  Sunon."  As  the 
Apostle  Paul  in  mentioning  his  different  appear- 
ances to  the  Corinthians,  says,  "He  was  seen  of 
Cephas,  then  of  the  twelve,"  we  naturally  infer, 
that  on  this  occasion  he  appeared  to  Peter  alone, 
and  before  he  had  appeared  to  any  of  the  twelve. 
We  have  no  record,  however,  of  any  of  the  inci- 
dents of  this  third  appearance.  The  reason  why 
Peter  was  singled  out  from  all  the  other  apostles, 
and  permitted  to  see  his  risen  Master  first,  could 
hardly  have  been  because  he  had  always  been  a 
sort  of  leader  among  his  brethren,  but  is,  no  doubt, 
to  be  found  in  the  great  grace  and  condescension 
of  our  Saviour,  who  would  thus  display  his  loving 
kindness  by  visiting  and  reassuring  the  very  disciple 
who  had  offended  most  grievously,  and  Avas  now 
most  deeply  humble   and  penitent.     If  the  Lord 


HIS   RESURRECTION   AND    ASCENSION.  127 

had  indeed  forgiven  and  appeared  to  Peter,  how 
much  more  might  all  the  others  take  courage  and  he 
comforted ! 

His  fourth  appearance  was  on  the  same  day  to 
two  of  those  who  had  believed  in  him  as  the  Re- 
deemer of  Israel,  as  they  journeyed  to  Emmaus  and 
talked  together  of  all  that  had  happened.  The 
whole  story  of  this  interview,  which  is  given  by 
Luke  with  peculiar  minuteness  of  detail,  is  full  of 
interest,  as  showing  the  deep  grief  and  disappoint- 
ment which  his  sorrowful  death  had  brought  upon 
all  his  friends.  Joining  himself  to  them  as  a  stran- 
ger, with  interest  and  sympathy  listening  to  all  their 
sad  recital  of  what  had  just  occurred  at  Jerusalem, 
then  himself  expounding  to  them  the  Messianic 
Scriptures  in  a  way  that  made  their  hearts  burn 
within  them,  and  at  last  reaching  the  village,  and 
yielding  to  their  solicitation  to  tarry  with  them  for 
the  night,  he  reveals  himself  to  them  at  their  even- 
ing meal,  in  the  act  of  breaking,  blessing,  and  dis- 
tributing the  bread.  No  doubt,  in  those  significant 
and  familiar  acts,  there  was  something  on  this  occa- 
sion, in  his  whole  tone  and  manner,  which  brought 
all  the  past  vividly  to  their  minds,  and  made  them 
see,  as  though  scales  had  fallen  from  their  eyes,  the 
living  face  of  Jesus.  "With  astonishment  and  joy 
they  rose  up  that  hour,  and  went  back  to  Jerusalem 
to  tell  the  great  truth  which  the  women  had  re- 
ported in  the  morning,  and  which  till  then  they  had 
doubted,  that  the  Lord   had  risen  indeed.     When 


128  THE    BEAUTY    OF   IMMANUEL. 

they  reached  the  city,  they  found  the  eleven  and 
other  disciples  gathered  together.  And  then  there 
was  a  mutual  announcement  of  glad  tidings.  For 
•while  the  two  travellers  rehearsed  what  things  were 
done  on  the  way,  and  how  he  was  revealed  to  them 
in  the  breaking  of  bread,  the  Jerusalem  company 
even  anticipated  their  story  with  the  exultant  state- 
ment, "  The  Lord  is  risen  indeed  and  hath  appeared 
unto  Simon." 

Then  follows  quickly  his  fifth  appearance  to  this 
assembled  company,  even  as  they  talked  and  re- 
joiced together.  "  And  as  they  thus  spake,  Jesus 
himself  stood  in  the  midst  of  them,  and  saith  unto 
them.  Peace  be  unto  you.  But  they  Avere  terrified 
and  aifrighted,  and  supposed  that  they  had  seen  a 
spirit.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Why  are  ye  troubled  ? 
and  why  do  thoughts  arise  in  your  hearts  ?  Behold 
my  hands  and  my  feet,  that  it  is  I  myself;  handle 
me  and  see  ;  for  a  spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bones  as 
ye  see  me  have.  And  when  he  had  thus  spoken, 
he  showed  them  his  hands  and  his  feet.  And  while 
they  yet  believed  not  for  joy,  and  wondered,  he  said 
unto  them,  Have  ye  here  any  meat  ?  And  they 
gave  him  a  piece  of  a  broiled  fish  and  of  an  honey- 
comb. And  he  took  it  and  did  eat  before  them 
[thus  giving  the  most  palpable  proof  that  he  was  a 
living  man].  And  he  said  unto  tliera.  These  are  the 
words  which  I  spnke  unto  you,  while  I  was  yet  with 
you,  that  all  things  must  be  fulfilled,  which  were 
written  in  the  law  of  Moses,  and  in  the  prophets, 


HIS    RESURRECTION    AND    ASCENSION.  129 

and  in  the  psalms  concerning  me.  Then  opened  lie 
their  understanding  that  they  might  understand  the 
Scriptures.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Thus  it  is  writ- 
ten, and  thus  it  behoved  Christ  to  suffer,  and  to  rise 
from  the  dead  the  third  day  ;  and  that  repentance 
and  remission  of  sins  should  be  preaclied  in  his 
name  among  all  nations  beginning  at  Jerusalem. 
And  ye  are  witnesses  of  these  things.  And  behold 
I  send  the  promise  of  my  Father  upon  you  ;  but 
tarry  ye  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem  until  ye  be  endued 
with  power  from  on  high." 

These  five  appearances  were  all  on  the  first  day 
of  the  week,  the  first  Christian  Sabbath.  His  sixth 
appearance  was  on  the  Sabbath  following,  or  eight 
days  after,  to  the  eleven  disciples  including  Thomas. 
Thomas  had  not  been  present  at  the  former  inter- 
view. When  the  others  reported  to  him  how  they 
had  seen  the  Lord,  had  conversed  with  him,  eaten 
with  him,  marked  the  very  nail  prints  on  his  hands 
and  feet,  in  a  spirit  of  excessive  caution  and  incre- 
dulity he  replied,  "  Except  I  shall  see  in  his  hands  the 
print  of  the  nails  and  put  my  finger  into  the  print 
of  the  nails,  and  tlirust  my  hand  into  his  side,  I  will 
not  believe."  Our  blessed  Lord,  more  perhaps 
with  a  view  to  make  the  proof  of  his  resurrection 
doubly  sure  to  the  doubtful  of  all  coming  genera- 
tions, than  of  yielding  to  the  unreasonable  demand 
of  this  doubting  disciple,  granted  another  interview, 
probably  in  the  same  room,  Avhich  removed  all  the 
doubts  of  Thomas.     "  Then  came  Jesus,  the  doors 


130  THE    BEAUTY    OF   IMMANUEL. 

being  shut,  and  stood  in  the  midst  and  said,  Peace 
be  unto  you.  Then  saith  he  to  Thomas,  Reach 
hither  thy  finger,  and  behold  my  hands;  and  reach 
hither  thy  hand  and  thrust  it  into  my  side,  and  be 
not  faithless  but  believing.  And  Thomas  answered 
and  said  unto  him.  My  Lord  and  my  God.  Jesus 
saith  unto  him,  Thomas,  because  thou  hast  seen  me, 
thou  hast  believed ;  blessed  are  they  that  have  not 
seen,  and  yet  have  believed." 

His  seventh  appearance  was  on  the  shore  of  the 
sea  of  Galilee,  early  in  the  morning,  to  seven  of  his 
disciples,  who  had  spent  a  toilsome  and  fruitless 
night  in  fishing.  John,  Avho  narrates  it,  calls  it  the 
third  time  he  had  showed  himself  to  his  disciples. 
It  was  indeed  only  the  third  time  he  had  appeared 
to  any  collective  body  of  them,  but  as  we  have  seen, 
the  seventh,  from  the  first,  including  the  four  pre- 
ceding interviews,  which  were  only  personal,  as  be- 
ing with  one  or  two  individuals.  The  disciples  on 
this  occasion  were  Peter,  James,  John,  Thomas, 
Nathaniel  or  Bartholomew,  and  two  others,  whose 
names  are  not  given.  This  interview,  which  is  per- 
haps more  fully  recorded  than  any  other,  was  ac- 
companied by  one  of  his  mighty  miracles,  bringing 
to  their  minds  other  similar  displays  of  Divine 
power  while  he  was  with  them,  and  leading  them  at 
once  to  know  that  it  was  the  Lord.  On  this  occa- 
sion he  dined  with  them,  and  held  that  memorable 
dialogue  with  Peter,  which  seemed  intended  to  rein- 
state him  in  his  forfeited  apostleship,  and  to  point 


HIS    RESURRECTION   AND    ASCENSION.  131 

out  the  great  duty  of  the  office — "Feed  my  sheep, 
feed  my  lambs." 

His  eighth  appearance  was  that  which  he  had  him- 
self appointed  in  Galilee.  On  the  night  he  was 
betrayed,  he  had  said  to  his  disciples,  "  When  I  am 
risen  I  will  go  before  you  into  Galilee."  On  the 
morning  of  the  resurrection  the  angels  sent  word  to 
his  disciples  by  the  women,  and  he  afterwards  met 
them  and  repeated  the  message,  To  go  and  tell  his 
brethren  to  meet  him  in  Galilee.  Accordingly  after 
the  second  Sabbath  his  apostles  seem  to  have  left 
Jerusalem  and  returned  to  Galilee  to  wait  for  his 
appointed  appearance.  We  know  not  the  place 
which  he  appointed.  The  Scripture  speaks  of  it  as 
a  mountain,  and  tradition  makes  it  the  mount  of 
transfiguration,  on  which  Peter,  James,  and  John 
had  once  beheld  his  excellent  glory,  when  he  charged 
them  to  tell  the  vision  to  no  man  till  the  Son  of 
man  should  be  risen  from  the  dead.  It  seems  very  natu- 
ral to  suppose  that  there  was  some  sort  of  connec- 
tion between  that  first  partial  revelation  of  his  glory 
to  the  three  disciples,  and  this  fuller  manifestation 
to  all  of  them  after  he  was  risen  from  the  dead,  and 
that  the  place  was  the  same.  But  be  this  as  it  may, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  a  great  number  of  his 
disciples  and  friends,  not  only  from  Jerusalem,  but 
from  all  the  cities  of  Galilee  had  resorted  to  the 
place  of  meeting.  It  is  evidently  of  this  interview 
that  the  apostle  Paul  speaks,  when  writing  to  the 
Corinthians  many  years  afterwards,  he  says,  "After 


132  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

that  he  was  seen  of  above  five  hundred  brethren  at 
once,  of  whom  the  greater  part  remain  unto  this 
present,  but  some  are  fallen  asleep."  Important 
however  as  the  occasion  was,  both  in  its  previous 
appointment,  and  in  the  numbers  who  witnessed  it, 
it  is  very  briefly  recorded.  "  Then  the  eleven  dis- 
ciples went  away  into  Galilee  into  a  mountain  where 
Jesus  had  appointed  them.  And  when  they  saw 
him  they  worshipped  him,  but  some  doubted.  And 
Jesus  came  and  spake  unto  them,  saying.  All 
power  is  given  to  me  in  heaven  and  earth."  Mat- 
thew, who  alone  of  the  evangelists,  relates  this  ap- 
pearance in  Galilee,  connects  with  it  the  Avords  of  the 
great  commission,  "Go  ye  therefore  and  teach  all 
nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father 
and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  teaching 
them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  com- 
manded you,  and  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even 
unto  the  end  of  the  world."  And  the  strong  pro- 
bability is  that  this  great  command  was  given  on 
more  than  one  occasion — at  least  on  this  one,  and 
on  that  in  which  he  ascended  to  heaven. 

The  ninth  appearance  was  to  James,  as  mentioned 
by  Paul  in  his  first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians. 
There  is  some  doubt  as  to  which  one  of  the  persons 
bearing  the  name  of  James,  this  was.  In  all  pro- 
bability it  was  the  one  whom  Paul  mentions  in  his 
epistle  to  the  Galatians  as  the  "brother  of  the 
Lord,"  and  who  was  afterwards  eminent  in  the 
church  at  Jerusalem,  and  took  a  leading  part  in  the 


HIS    RESURRECTION    AND    ASCENSION.  133 

first  synod  there,  as  stated  in  the  fifteenth  chapter 
of  the  Acts.  But  there  is  no  account  given  else- 
where of  this  appearance  to  James. 

His  tenth  and  last  appearance  (excepting  that  in 
which  he  was  afterwards  seen  by  Paul)  was  on  the 
day  of  his  ascension  to  heaven.  A  full  account  of 
this  is  given  by  St.  Luke,  partly  in  his  Gospel  and 
partly  in  the  first  chapter  of  the  book  of  Acts. 
It  occurred  forty  days  after  his  resurrection,  and 
consequently  just  ten  days  before  tlie  dny  of  Pen- 
tecost. No  doubt  the  whole  band  of  his  apostles, 
having  returned  from  Galilee,  Avere  present  at  the 
last  interview.  Indeed  we  read  in  immediate  con- 
nection, that  the  number  of  the  names  of  those  who 
were  together  was  one  hundred  and  twenty.  On 
this  occasion  he  charged  them  not  to  depart  from 
Jerusalem,  but  to  '"  wait  for  the  promise  of  the 
Father,  which  they  had  heard  of  him.  For  John 
truly  baptized  with  water  but  ye  shall  be  baptized 
with  the  Holy  Ghost,  not  many  days  hence."  From 
Luke's  narrative  we  should  infer  that  he  speijt  some 
considerable  time  with  them  on  this  occasion, 
"giving  them  commandments  and  speaking  to  them 
of  the  things  pertaining  to  the  kingdom  of  God." 
As  suggested  by  Dr.  Moore,  in  his  admirable  little 
work,  "The  Last  Days  of  Jesus,"  we  think  it  likely 
that  he  met  his  disciples  on  this  occasion,  as  he  had 
done  on  others,  in  the  evening,  in  their  usual  place 
of  meeting  in  Jerusalem,  spent  the  whole  night  with 
them,  and  led  them  out  through  the  early  dawn,  by 
IL' 


134  THE    BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

the  familiar  path  which  they  had  trodden  on  the 
night  of  his  betrayal,  across  the  brook  Cedron,  past 
Gethsemane,  and  over  the  Mount  of  Olives,  to  his 
loved  and  quiet  Bethany,  the  chosen  spot  for  his 
ascension.  Luke  closes  his  Gospel  with  the  follow- 
ing record :  "  And  he  led  them  out  as  far  as 
Bethany,  and  he  lifted  up  his  hands  and  blessed 
them.  And  it  came  to  pass  while  he  blessed  them, 
he  was  parted  from  them,  and  carried  up  into 
heaven.  And  they  worshipped  him,  and  returned  to 
Jerusalem  with  great  joy,  and  were  continually 
in  the  temple  praising  and  blessing  God.  Amen." 
In  the  Acts,  he  supplements  this  account  with  other 
interesting  particulars.  The  disciples  ask,  "  Lord, 
wilt  thou  at  this  time  restore  again  the  kingdom  to 
Israel?"  He  answers,  "It  is  not  for  you  to  know 
the  times  or  the  seasons,  which  the  Father  hath  put 
in  his  own  power.  But  ye  shall  receive  power, 
after  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon  you ;  and 
ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  me  both  in  Jerusalem, 
and  in  Judea,  and  in  Samaria,  and  unto  the  utter- 
most part  of  the  earth."  In  all  probability  he  ut- 
tered again  the  solemn  words  of  the  great  commis- 
sion, "Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature ;  he  that  believeth  and  is 
baptized  shall  be  saved  ;  but  he  that  believeth  not 
shall  be  damned.  And  when  he  had  spoken  these 
things,  while  they  beheld,  he  was  taken  up  ;  and  a 
cloud  received  him  out  of  their  sight."  St.  Mark 
adds,  "  He  was  received  up  into  heaven  and  sat  on 


HIS   RESURRECTION   AND    ASCENSION.  135 

the  right  hand  of  God,"  "And  while  they  looked 
steadfastly  toward  heaven,  (continues  St.  Luke,)  as 
ho  went  up,  hehold  two  men  stood  by  them  in  white 
apparel ;  who  also  said.  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  wliy 
stand  ye  gazing  up  into  heaven?  This  same  Jesus 
wlio  is  taken  from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come 
in  like  manner,  as  ye  have  seen  him  go  into  heaven. 
Then  returned  they  unto  Jerusalem,  from  the  Mount 
called  Olivet,  which  is  from  Jerusalem  a  Sabbath 
day's  journey." 

Truly  the  Lord  hath  done  all  things  well !  No- 
thing could  be  more  complete  and  convincing  than 
these  proofs  of  his  resurrection,  given  to  so  many 
witnesses,  in  so  many  varying  forms,  through  the 
space  of  forty  days.  Angels  saw  him  rise.  But 
men  saw  him  die,  saw  him  buried,  saw  him  alive 
again,  and  saw  him  ascend  to  heaven.  There  can 
be  no  possibility  of  mistake  as  to  either  of  these 
facts.  There  is  no  more  ground  to  doubt  that  he 
rose  from  the  dead  and  ascended  to  heaven  than  to 
doubt  that  he  lived  and  died.  But  if  he  rose  and 
ascended,  then  all  is  true,  all  is  sure  and  safe  for 
ever.  If  he  rose  and  ascended,  then  is  he  a  Divine 
and  Almighty  Saviour,  exalted  at  God's  right  hand 
and  living  for  evermore  to  intercede  for  us.  If  he 
rose  and  ascended,  then  was  his  life  an  incarnation 
of  God  in  the  flesh,  and  his  death  a  great  atoning 
sacrifice  for  the  sins  of  the  lost.  If  he  rose  and 
ascended,  then  is  this  story  of  the  cross  a  true 
gospel  to  a  perishing  world,  the  power  of  God  and 


136  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

the  wisdom  of  God  to  all  who  believe.  If  he  rose 
and  ascended,  then  is  our  hope  of  heaven  secure, 
our  salvation  on  the  immovable  basis  of  God's  truth 
and  God's  infinite  love  and  mercy.  Then  was  he 
delivered  for  our  ofi'ences,  and  raised  again  for  our 
justification.  Made  of  the  seed  of  David  according 
to  the  flesh,  he  was  thus  declared  to  be  the  Son  of 
God  with  power  by  the  resurrection  from  the  dead. 
Nothing  ever  was,  and  nothing  ever  can  be,  more 
sublime  and  glorious  than  such  a  termination  of 
such  a  life,  and  such  a  death !  The  toils  of  his  suf- 
fering life,  the  humiliation  and  agony  of  his  cruel 
death,  exchanged  for  the  immortal  robes  of  his  re- 
surrection body,  and  for  the  bright  diadem  of  a  con- 
queror over  death  and  hell,  ascending  to  his  eternal 
throne  in  the  heavens.  The  genius  of  the  old 
classic  Greeks  and  Romans,  strove  to  embody  some 
lofty  conception  of  the  sublime  and  beautiful,  the 
eternal  and  divine,  in  their  myths  and  fables  of 
human  apotheosis  and  transformation.  But  here, 
alone,  in  Jesus  Immanuel,  incarnate,  crucified,  risen, 
ascended,  and  crowned  with  glory,  we  find  the  only 
true  meeting  of  earth  and  heaven,  the  one  grand 
transformation  of  the  Divine  into  the  human,  and 
apotheosis  of  the  human  on  the  throne  of  Divinity. 
Here  alone,  in  this  wondrous  and  sublime  story,  do 
we  find  man's  only  possible  exaltation  and  glory. 
We  see  not  yet  all  things  put  under  man  ;  for  the 
end  is  not  yet.  But  we  see  Jesus  on  the  throne; 
we  see  Jesus,  "who  was  made  a  little  lower  than  the 


HIS    RESURRECTION   AND   ASCENSION.  137 

angels  for  the  suffering  of  death,  crowned  witli  glory 
and  houour;  that  he,  bj  the  grace  of  God,  sliould 
taste  death  for  every  man." 

The  resurrection  and  ascension  were  not  only  a 
demonstration  to  the  universe  that  his  grand  work 
of  atonement  for  man  by  the  death  of  his  cross, 
was  fully  accomplished  and  accepted  in  the  heavens, 
but  a  complete  and  eternal  vindication  of  his  cha- 
racter and  all  his  claims  as  our  conquering  King 
and  Redeemer.  It  marked  the  ending  of  his  estate 
of  humiliation  in  the  flesh  as  our  atoning  sacrifice, 
and  the  beginning  of  that  estate  of  exaltation  and 
glory,  as  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords,  in  which 
he  shall  reign  in  heaven  and  rule  on  earth,  until  all 
enemies  shall  be  put  under  his  feet,  and  death  itself 
shall  die.  It  was  a  fitting  spectacle  to  the  attend- 
ant angels,  that  the  whole  band  of  loving  disciples, 
as  on  that  memorable  morning  they  stood  on  the 
mount,  and  saw  him  ascend  in  his  chariot  of  cloud 
to  the  highest  heavens,  should,  with  adoring  wonder, 
worship  such  a  Saviour,  such  a  conqueror.  It  was 
but  the  prelude  of  that  eternal  worship  which 
awaited  him  on  high,  when  the  everlasting  doors 
were  lifted  up  at  his  approach,  and  the  decree  of 
welcome  went  forth — "Let  all  the  angels  of  God 
worship  him." 
12  * 


138  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 


CHAPTER    X. 

HIS    MEDIATORIAL    OFFICES    AND    WORK. 

Among  men  no  character  can  be  fully  estimated 
without  considering  the  offices  filled  and  the  works 
accomplished  by  its  possessor.  It  is  mainly  through 
the  works  of  a  life  time  that  the  character  of  any 
man  is  best  displayed.  The  same  rule  will  apply  to 
the  life  and  character  of  our  blessed  Lord.  Thus 
far  we  have  traced  the  great  facts  and  events  of  his 
life,  with  his  Divine  and  human  virtues,  through 
their  gradual  historical  development,  from  the  hour 
of  his  incarnation  in  human  form  to  that  of  his  as- 
cension to  heaven,  as  our  risen  and  glorified  Me- 
diator. And  if  this  were  all,  it  would  infinitely 
transcend  anything  that  was  ever  known  among 
men ;  but  the  wondrous  story  does  not  end  even 
with  this  sublime  apotheosis.  As  he  came  from 
heaven  at  first  only  to  enter  upon  his  work,  as  he 
passed  from  life  to  death  only  to  finish  for  ever  one 
great  part  of  that  work,  that  of  sacrifice  and  expia- 
tion, so  he  passed  from  death  to  life  again,  and  from 
earth  to  heaven  itself,  but  to  carry  on  and  consummate 
his  great  Mediatorial  work.  Having  done  all  that 
the  case  he  had  undertaken  required  to  be  done  on 


HIS   MEDIATORIAL    OFFICES    AND   WORK.         139 

earth,  he  is  now  gone  up  to  appear  before  God  as 
our  Advocate,  Intercessor,  and  victorious  King, 
there  to  accomplish  all  that  part  of  his  work  which, 
from  his  ascension  to  his  second  coming,  remained  to 
be  done. 

Although  exalted  on  his  heavenly  throne,  he  still 
fills  his  Mediatorial  offices,  and  is  carrying  on  his 
great  work,  and  we,  in  this  mortal  state,  only  see  in 
part  and  know  in  part  what  he  has  done  and  is  yet 
to  do ;  nevertheless  the  Scriptures  have  revealed 
enough  to  give  us  some  conception  of  his  character 
and  achievements  as  our  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King. 
These  three  great  offices  pertain  to  him  as  Mediator 
between  God  and  man  ;  and  they  belong  to  him 
both  in  his  estate  of  humiliation  and  of  exaltation. 
For  whilst  the  different  offices  are,  each  in  turn, 
most  prominently  brought  to  view  at  the  several 
successive  stages  of  his  work,  those  of  Prophet  and 
Priest  characterizing  his  estate  of  humiliation,  the 
one  in  his  life  of  instruction,  and  the  other  in  his 
death  of  sacrifice,  and  that  of  King  characterizing 
his  state  of  exaltation  from  the  resurrection  to  the 
consummation  of  all  things  ;  still  all  three  of  them 
were  filled  by  him  while  in  the  flesh,  and  by  antici- 
pation for  four  thousand  years  before  the  advent, 
and  all  three  of  them  are  still  borne  by  him,  now 
that  he  is  in  heaven.  As  our  Great  High  Priest, 
lie  finished  the  work  of  sacrifice,  by  the  one  offering 
of  himself  upon  the  cross.  But  he  is  still  our  Great 
High  Priest  in  heaven — "  a  priest  for  ever  after  the 


140  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

order  of  Melcliisedec" — "a  priest  who  ever  livetli  to 
make  intercession  for  us" — "  the  Lamb  slain  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world."  In  the  days  of  his  earthly 
ministry  he  was  the  Prophet,  that  was  to  come  into 
the  world,  the  great  Teacher  of  Israel,  a  liglit  to 
lighten  the  Gentiles,  and  a  preacher  of  glad  tidings 
to  the  poor.  But  from  the  very  beginning,  through 
all  dispensations,  he  was  in  the  church  as  the  great 
Prophet  of  all  the  prophets,  teaching  his  people  and 
preparing  the  way  for  his  incarnation,  by  revela- 
tions and  manifestations  to  holy  men  of  old  who 
spake  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  In 
his  kingly  office,  which  belongs  preeminently  to  his 
estate  of  exaltation  and  glory,  as  risen  from  the 
dead  and  ascended  to  heaven,  he  is  now  seated  at 
God's  right  hand,  clothed  with  all  power  in  heaven 
and  earth,  conquering  all  his  and  our  enemies,  and 
carrying  forward  his  eternal  purposes,  until  "every 
knee  shall  bow,  of  things  in  heaven  and  things  on 
earth  and  things  under  the  earth,  and  every  tongue 
shall  confess  that  he  is  Lord  of  all  to  the  glory  of 
God  the  Father."  But  still  he  was  our  King  from 
the  beginning  of  the  history  of  Redemption.  In 
the  darkest  hour  of  his  humiliation,  when  his  God- 
head was  all  eclipsed  in  the  cloud  of  mortal  flesh, 
and  he  stood  arraigned  as  a  culprit  at  Pilate's  bar, 
he  could  say,  "  I  am  a  king,  for  this  end  was  I  born, 
and  for  this  purpose  came  I  into  the  world,  that  I 
might  bear  witness  unto  the  truth."  He  was  with 
his  church   through  all  the  wilderness,  not  only  as 


HIS    MEDIATORIAL    OFFICES    AND    WORK.         141 

her  suffering  Messiah,  but  as  her  nil-conquering 
Sovereign — the  Prophet  of  all  her  prophets,  the 
Priest  of  all  her  priests,  the  King  of  all  her  kings, 
the  rightful  Lord  of  the  whole  earth.  And  thus, 
from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  through  all  dispen- 
sations, both  in  humiliation  and  in  exaltation,  in 
life,  in  death,  and  resurrection,  on  earth  and  in 
heaven,  he  executes  for  the  church  of  his  redeemed 
his  great  Mediatorial  work,  and  fills  all  the  high 
offices  of  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King,  His  kingdom 
is  an  everlasting  kingdom,  and  of  his  dominion 
there  shall  be  no  end,  till  he  shall  have  consum- 
mated all  the  purposes  of  his  Mediatorship,  shall 
have  put  down  all  authority  and  power,  brought  all 
his  ransomed  home  to  glory,  and  delivered  up  the 
kingdom  to  God  the  Father,  that  God  may  be  all 
in  all. 

If  we  look  back  into  the  history  of  the  ancient 
church,  as  developed  through  all  the  Old  Testament 
Scriptures,  it  is  in  the  light  of  these  three  great 
Mediatorial  offices  filled  by  the  Messiah,  that  we  can 
best  understand  the  types,  symbols,  ceremonies,  and 
revelations  of  that  time  of  preparation.  All  spoke 
of  Christ,  all  pointed  to  Christ  as  the  one  Mediator 
and  Deliverer  of  Israel — the  Prophet  to  come,  like 
unto  Moses,  the  atoning  Priest  adumbrated  by 
Aaron,  the  eternal  King  in  Zion  sitting  on  the  throne 
of  David.  He  was  the  burden  of  all  the  prophets' 
messages  of  salvation  and  deliverance.  He  was  the 
subject  of  all  the  inspired  bards   and  psalmists  of 


142  THE    BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

Israel.  lie  was  the  substance  of  all  tlie  burning 
altars,  tlie  bleeding  victims  and  the  priestly  offer- 
ings and  oblations.  lie  was  the  end  of  all  the  laws 
for  righteousness  to  every  one  that  believeth.  He 
•was  the  tiieme  of  all  the  Scriptures,  that  were  writ- 
ten in  the  law,  the  prophets,  and  the  psalms.  It  is 
only  as  the  soul  of  man  is  taught  and  enlightened 
by  him,  as  God's  appointed  Prophet,  redeemed  from 
sin  and  hell  by  him  as  God's  accepted  Priest,  deliv- 
ered from  all  enemies  by  him,  as  God's  equal  and 
eternal  Son,  the  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords, 
that  any  soul  ever  was  or  can  be  saved.  It  is  only 
thus  as  he  executes  those  great  offices,  and  in  them 
accomplishes  the  greatest  work  that  was  ever  un- 
dertaken in  the  universe,  that  all  the  church  of 
God,  of  all  nations  and  generations  from  the  begin- 
ning to  the  end  of  time,  shall  be  saved  and  gathered 
home  to  glory,  washed  by  his  blood,  sanctified  by 
his  Spirit,  and  redeemed  by  the  might  of  his  power. 
There  was  in  the  very  nature  of  the  work  which 
the  Mediator  undertook,  the  work  of  redemption, 
a  necessity  that  he  shoiild  discharge  each  of  these 
great  offices.  The  race  of  man  was  ruined  by  sin, 
apostate  from  God,  under  the  curse  of  his  violated 
law,  lost  to  all  the  light  of  heaven,  and  delivered 
over  to  the  dominion  of  death.  To  make  reconcili- 
ation for  such  sinners — lost  for  ever  in  the  triple 
sense  of  being  in  utter  darkness,  in  utter  condem- 
nation, and  utter  bondage  to  death  and  the  devil, 
there  was  a  threefold  work  to  be  done,  the  work  of 


HIS    MEDIATORIAL    OFFICES   AND    WORK.         143 

instruction,  the  work  of  sacrifice,  and  the  work  of 
conquering  all  their  enemies.  The  pall  of  nature's 
darkness  must  be  lifted  from  eyes  that  had  been 
hopelessly  blinded  by  sin.  The  death  penalties  of 
a  violated  law  must  be  met  and  satisfied  for  those 
who  were  already  under  its  curse,  having  forfeited 
every  claim  to  life.  The  prison-doors  of  hell  and 
the  grave  must  be  unbarred  by  one,  who,  having  in- 
finite righteousness,  and  having  given  his  own  blood 
as  a  ransom,  had  almighty  power  to  release  the  cap- 
tives. Thus  it  was  written,  and  thus  it  behoved 
Christ  to  suffer;  and  not  only  to  suflfcr,  but  to  pour 
the  light  of  Divine  truth  into  every  sin-blinded  soul, 
and  to  reign  and  conquer  in  behalf  of  all  his  re- 
deemed people.  It  is  therefore  of  the  very  essence 
of  salvation,  a  matter  arising  out  of  the  fearful 
exigencies  of  our  condition  as  sinners,  that  our 
Mediator  Immanuel  should  be  a  Prophet,  a  Priest, 
and  a  King.  The  whole  history  of  redemption  ex- 
hibits him  as  such.  Ife  could  not  have  been  a  Sa- 
viour otherwise.  In  each  his  work  is  perfect  and 
glorious.  He  taught  with  infinite  wisdom,  as  never 
man  taught.  He  died  once  for  all,  the  victim  and 
the  priest,  the  just  for  the  unjust,  as  neither  men 
nor  angels  could  have  died.  He  destroyed  Satan's 
throne,  and  triumphed  openly  over  death  and  hell, 
as  none  but  a  God  could  do.  Not  in  one  jot  or  tittle 
of  all  his  work  did  he  fail. 

If  we  look  forward  into  the  Apocalypse,  the  pro- 
phetic book  of  the  New  Tcstuuiciit,  we  b^^hold  him, 


144  THE   BEAUTY   OF  IMMANUEL. 

amid  all  the  glories  of  the  heavenly  hierarchy,  wor- 
shipped and  adored  ;  not  only  for  his  own  infinite 
majesty  as  the  eternal  Son  of  God,  but  for  that 
amazing  work  of  redemption  which  he  had  wrought 
out  by  his  blood,  carried  forward  by  his  Spirit,  and 
perfected  for  ever  by  his  sovereign  power  as  the 
Mediator  between  God  and  man.  This  is  indeed 
the  sublimest  vision  of  the  Apocalypse.  This  work 
of  the  Lamb  is  the  theme  of  the  new  song.  It  is 
the  most  wondrous,  the  most  joyous,  and  exultant 
theme  that  the  angels  had  ever  heard  in  heaven. 
"  And  they  sung  a  new  song,  saying.  Thou  art 
"worthy  to  take  the  book  and  to  open  the  seals  there- 
of; for  thou  wast  slain,  and  hast  redeemed  us  to 
God  by  thy  blood  out  of  every  kindred  and  tongue 
and  people  and  nation  ;  and  hast  made  us  unto  our 
God  kings  and  priests ;  and  we  shall  reign  on  the 
earth.  And  I  beheld,  and  I  heard  the  voice  of 
many  angels  round  about  the  throne  and  the  living 
creatures  and  the  elders  ;  and  the  number  of  them 
was  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand,  and  thousands 
of  thousands,  saying  with  a  loud  voice,  Worthy  is 
the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive  power,  and  riches, 
and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and  honour,  and  glory, 
and  blessing.  And  every  creature  which  is  in  the 
heaven,  and  on  the  earth,  and  under  the  earth,  and 
such  as  are  in  the  sea,  and  all  that  are  in  them, 
heard  I  saying.  Blessing  and  honour  and  glory  and 
power  be  unto  him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne, 
and  unto  ^le  Lamb  for  ever  and  ever." 


HIS    MEDIATORIAL   OFFICES   AND   WORK.        145 

It  is  in  this  work  of  man's  redemption  that  Im- 
manuel  has  made  the  highest  manifestation  to  the 
Universe  of  the  glory  of  God.  Not  only  does  it 
display  the  infinite  loveliness  of  his  own  personal 
character,  as  showing  the  riches  of  his  grace  toward 
perishing  man,  and  the  glory  of  his  power  and  wis- 
dom in  his  salvation,  but  it  displays,  as  nothing  else 
had  ever  done  or  could  do,  all  the  grand,  essential 
attributes  of  the  Godhead.  "  These  things  the 
angels  desire  to  look  into;"  for  these,  more  than 
all  works  and  ways  of  God,  declare  his  glorious 
moral  character,  as  the  God  of  infinite  justice,  in- 
finite holiness,  infinite  truth,  infinite  love  and 
mercy. 

By  this  great  work  of  sacrifice,  of  instruction, 
and  of  conquest,  he  has  vanquished  all  the  enemies 
of  God  for  ever,  has  rolled  back  the  night  of  sin 
and  death  from  the  face  of  God's  creation,  broken 
Satan's  power  in  the  dust,  reconquered  and  re- 
claimed his  trophies,  and  prepared  a  people  for  his 
glory  in  the  heavens.  On  this  work  he  has  founded 
his  own  Mediatorial  kingdom,  and  built  his  church, 
so  that  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it. 
This  church  of  the  redeemed,  founded  on  the  rock 
of  ages,  in  his  own  person,  gathered  from  every  age 
and  nation,  and  intended  by  him  to  make  known 
unto  principalities  and  powers  in  heavenly  places, 
the  manifold  wisdom  of  God — this  church  is  itself 
but  the  result  and  exponent  of  his  mighty  work. 
And  not  until  the  last  sinner  shall  have  been  saved, 
13 


146  THE   BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

and  the  last  saint  of  all  earth's  teeming  millions 
brought  home  to  glory — not  until  the  general  as- 
sembly and  church  of  the  first  born,  who  are  written 
in  heaven,  shall  have  met  to  part  no  more  in  his 
presence — not  until  that  day  when  God  shall  wipe 
all  tears  from  every  face,  and  these  mortal  bodies, 
raised  from  the  dust  and  fashioned  like  unto  his 
glorious  body,  shall  have  rejoined  their  ransomed 
spirits  in  the  skies,  shall  we  ever  know  all  that  God 
our  Saviour  has  done  for  us. 

•'  Burst,  ye  emerald  gates,  and  bring 

To  my  raptured  vision, 
All  the  ecstatic  joys  that  spring 

Round  the  bright  elysian. 
Hark,  the  thrilling  symphonies 

Seem  e'en  now  to  seize  us, 
Join  we  too  the  holy  lays, 

Jesus,  Jesus,  Jesus. 
Sweetest  sound  in  Seraph's  song. 
Sweetest  note  on  mortal  tongue, 
Sweetest  carol  ever  si^ig, 

Jesus,  Jesus,  Jesus  " 


HIS    SECOND   AND    GLORIOUS   APPEARING.      147 


CHAPTER    XI. 

HIS   SECOND    AND    GLORIOUS    APPEARING. 

It  is  a  blessed  and  glorious  thought  that  the  Son 
of  God  is  to  come  back  to  the  earth  again — not  in 
poverty  and  humiliation,  but  in  triumph  and  majesty 
— not  as  the  Lamb  slain,  but  as  the  Lion  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah.  "I  know  that  my  Redeemer 
liveth,"  cried  the  sorrowing  patriarch  of  Uz,  "and 
that  he  shall  stand  at  the  latter  day  upon  the  earth. 
And  though  after  my  skin  worms  destroy  this  body, 
yet  in  my  flesh  shall  I  see  God ;  whom  I  shall  see 
for  myself,  and  mine  eyes  shall  behold,  and  not  an- 
other, though  my  reins  be  consumed  within  me." 
The  law  of  compensation  reigns  through  all  the 
ways  of  God.  The  cross  is  but  the  prelude  to  the 
crown.  The  death  of  a  good  man  is  but  his  step- 
ping stone  to  glory.  And  so  the  first  advent  of  the 
Son  of  God  in  weakness,  and  toil,  and  woe,  was  but 
the  necessary  preparation  for  that  second  advent  in 
which  he  is  to  come  in  all  the  glory  of  his  Father 
with  the  holy  angels.  He  shall  stand  upon  Mount 
Zion  again,  not  as  he  once  stood,  derided  and  re- 
jected of  men,  at  Pilate's  judgment-seat,  but  him- 
self the   Judge  of  quick  and  dead.     "  This   same 


148  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

Jesus,"  said  the  angels  at  his  ascension,  "  who  is 
taken  up  from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come  in  like 
manner  as  ye  have  seen  him  go  away  into  heaven." 
"  Behold  he  cometh  with  clouds,"  writes  the  prophet 
of  the  Apocalypse,  "  and  every  eye  shall  see  him, 
and  they  also  that  pierced  him  shall  see  him,  and 
all  kindreds  of  the  earth  shall  wail  because  of  him." 
One  of  the  earliest  prophecies  on  record,  speaks  of 
this  second  and  triumphant  coming.  Enoch,  the 
seventh  from  Adam,  said,  "Behold,  the  Lord  cometh 
with  ten  thousands  of  his  saints,  to  execute  judg- 
ment upon  all,  and  to  convince  all  that  are  ungodly 
among  them  of  all  their  ungodly  deeds  which  they 
have  ungodly  committed,  and  of  all  their  hard 
speeches  which  ungodly  sinners  have  spoken  against 
him." 

This  sublime  doctrine  of  the  second  coming  our 
Saviour  had  often  taught  his  disciples  while  he  was 
with  them :  "  When  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in 
his  glory  and  all  the  holy  angels  with  him,  then 
shall  he  sit  upon  the  throne  of  his  glory ;  and  be- 
fore him  shall  be  gathered  all  nations ;  and  he  shall 
separate  them  one  from  another,  as  a  shepherd 
divideth  his  sheep  from  the  goats."  "When  ar- 
raigned for  trial  before  the  Jewish  Sanhedrim,  and 
adjured  by  the  high  priest,  in  the  name  of  the  living 
God,  to  tell  them  whether  he  was  the  Christ,  the 
Son  of  God,  he  answered,  "I  am;  and  hereafter 
shall  ye  see  the  Son  of  man  sitting  on  the  right 
hand    of    power,    and   coming    in    the    clouds    of 


HIS    SECOND    AND    GLORIOUS   APPEARING.      149 

heaven."  And  thus  from  the  time  of  his  ascension 
to  heaven,  onward  through  all  the  Epistles  and  the 
Apocalypse,  we  find  this  grand  doctrine  of  his  re- 
turn to  earth,  held  forth  prominently,  as  the  great 
prophecy  of  the  New  Testament,  and  the  most 
joyful  hope  of  the  church.  "AYe  look  for  that 
blessed  hope,"  says  Paul,  "the  glorious  appearing 
of  the  great  God,  even  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ." 

To  the  Scriptures  of  the  New  Testament,  and  to 
the  whole  church  of  the  New  Dispensation,  this 
promise  of  the  second  advent,  stands  related,  very 
much  as  the  promise  of  the  first  advent  stood  related 
to  the  Scriptures  and  the  church  of  the  Old  Covenant. 
It  is  the  grand  inspiring  object  of  hope.  It  is  the 
bright  pledge  of  final  deliverance  and  redemption 
for  all  the  saints  of  God. 

Intimately  associated  with  this  second  coming  of 
the  Son  of  God,  are  many  of  the  grandest  revela- 
tions of  the  Scriptures — the  resurrection  of  the  dead, 
the  judgment  of  men  and  angels,  the  new  heavens 
and  the  new  earth,  the  final  redemption  of  the 
church,  the  glory  of  the  righteous,  the  doom  of  the 
wicked.  All  these  last  great  things  are  dependent 
upon  his  advent.  They  belong  to  him  in  his  ex- 
altation and  glory.  They  are  to  be  executed  by 
him  in  his  royal  power.  To  all  the  universe,  they 
will  be  as  full  a  display  of  his  Divine  power,  and  as 
triumphant  a  vindication  of  his  right  to  reign  and 
rule,  God  over  all,  blessed  for  ever,  as  the  death  of 
the  cross  had  been  of  the  completeness  of  his  work 
13* 


150  THE    BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

of  humiliation  and  sacrifice.  Here  we  behold  one 
of  those  amazing  contrasts  of  which  the  history  of 
redemption  is  so  full — the  Son  of  God  condemned 
as  a  man  at  Pilate's  bar,  the  Son  of  man  vindicated 
as  God  on  his  throne  of  judgment  in  the  clouds. 
If  ever,  in  any  case,  the  end  and  issue  of  a  story 
justified  its  beginning  and  vindicated  all  the  stages 
of  its  progress,  so  as  to  furnish  by  the  very  fitness 
and  symmetry  of  all  things  a  demonstration  of  its 
truth,  it  is  done  in  the  history  of  Redemption. 
Man  in  his  impotent  short-sightedness,  looking  only 
at  the  feeble  beginnings,  and  the  partial  progress 
of  this  scheme  of  salvation  across  the  ages,  may  be 
tempted  to  write  imperfection  and  failure  upon  the 
Gospel  of  God.  But  let  man  suspend  his  judgment 
till  the  whole  case  is  issued — till  the  last  great 
things  are  done — till  the  Man  of  sorrows  and  the 
scenes  of  Gethsemane  give  place  to  the  judgment- 
seat  of  Christ,  and  the  "glory  yet  to  be  revealed" 
— till  heaven  shall  compensate  for  the  toils  of  earth 
and  eternity  adjust  the  inequalities  of  time — and 
he  shall  then  see,  that  from  the  beginning  to  the 
end,  in  every  step  of  his  progress,  the  Lord  hath 
done  all  things  well. 

As  the  crucifixion  fulfilled  the  prophecies  of  four 
thousand  years ;  as  the  resurrection  and  ascension 
demonstrated  the  Divine  purpose  and  significance 
of  the  crucifixion  ;  as  the  descent  of  the  Spirit  on 
the  day  of  Pentecost  was  but  the  development  of 
the  great  results  of  the  resurrection  and  ascension ; 


HIS    SECOND    AND    GLORIOUS    APPEARING.       151 

as  the  onward,  irresistible  progress  of  the  gospel 
among  the  nations  for  eighteen  centuries,  is  but  the 
carrying  out  of  that  Pentecostal  beginning,  and  the 
constantly  accumulating  vindication  of  all  that  has 
gone  before ;  so  the  shout  of  the  archangel,  the 
trump  of  God,  and  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man 
in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  attended  by  the  spirits  of 
just  men  made  perfect,  and  all  the  holy  angels,  to 
raise  the  dead,  to  judge  the  world  in  righteousness, 
and  to  settle  all  the  issues  of  time  in  the  light  of 
eternity,  will  be  but  the  necessary  unfolding  and 
completing  of  that  great  scheme  of  Pi-ovidence  and 
grace  which  began  with  the  first  announcement  in 
Eden — "  The  seed  of  the  woman  shall  bruise  the 
serpent's  head."  The  whole  progress  of  the  work 
with  its  crowning  day,  Avas  as  fully  present  to  the 
mind  of  the  Lord  then,  to  justify  and  direct  every 
successive  revelation  of  the  Bible,  as  it  will  be  be- 
fore the  minds  of  angels  and  men  at  the  last  day. 

As  to  the  time  appointed  for  the  ushering  in  of 
these  last  great  things,  the  Scriptures  have  given  us 
no  distinct  information.  We  may  perhaps  under- 
stand something,  as  to  the  order  of  succession  in 
which  they  are  to  occur,  and  get  some  faint  concep- 
tion as  to  their  awful  grandeur,  transcending  all 
earthly  and  mortal  scenes  ;  but  the  set  time  is  one 
of  those  secret  things,  which  belong  not  to  us  or  our 
children,  but  only  to  God.  It  is  a  great  mystery, 
over  which  the  Divine  mind  seems  purposely  to  have 
thrown  the  veil  of  concealment.    Many  have  sought 


152  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

in  vain  to  penetrate  that  veil ;  to  see  what  is  behind 
the  curtain  of  the  future.  From  the  very  days  of 
the  apostles  there  have  been  some  in  the  church, 
who  have  striven  to  fix  the  time  of  Christ's  appear- 
ing. St.  Paul  wrote  his  second  letter  to  the  Thessalon- 
ians,  in  part  to  correct  the  error  of  those  who 
taught  that  the  coming  of  the  Lord  was  then  just 
at  hand.  At  many  subsequent  periods,  down  to  our 
own,  the  same  opinion  has  been  revived ;  and  some 
have  ventured  beforehand  to  tell  the  year  and  the 
day  when  the  Son  of  man  should  appear.  Some 
even  now,  from  their  reading  of  the  prophecies,  are 
looking  with  confident  assurance  to  his  appearing  as 
an  event  near  at  hand,  to  be  witnessed  by  this  gen- 
eration. Some  suppose  that  his  coming  will  not  be 
until  the  earth  has  had  its  full  week  of  working 
days — a  thousand  years  for  a  day — to  be  followed 
by  a  seventh  day  of  rest,  or  Millennial  Sabbath,  of 
a  thousand  years  ;  making  four  thousand  years  of 
preparation  for  the  first  advent,  two  thousand  for 
the  second,  and  one  thousand  of  the  latter  day  glory 
for  the  end. 

But  all  such  conjectures  are  fruitless,  perhaps 
presumptuous.  "When  on  the  mount  of  Olives,  the 
disciples  c^me  to  our  Saviour  privately,  saying,  "Tell 
us  when  shall  these  things  be ;  and  what  shall  be 
the  sign  of  thy  coming,  and  of  the  end  of  the 
world?"  after  telling  them  of  many  things  which 
must  first  come  to  pass  in  all  nations,  he  added, 
"But  of  that  day  and  hour  knoweth  no  man,  no. 


HIS    SECOND    AND    GLORIOUS    APrEARING.      153 

not  the  angels  of  heaven,  but  ray  Father  only." 
And  when,  on  the  duy  of  his  ascension  to  heaven, 
they  asked,  "Lord,  wilt  thou  at  this  time  restore  the 
kingdom  to  Israel?"  he  said,  "It  is  not  for  you  to 
know  the  times  and  the  seasons  which  the  Father 
hath  put  in  his  own  power."  It  would  seem,  that 
such  language  as  this,  even  though  referring  to 
other  events,  ought  to  deter  us  from  any  confident 
assertion  as  to  the  time  of  his  second  and  glorious 
appearing;  and  also  as  to  the  question  Avhether  his 
coming  shall  long  precede,  or  be  immediately  fol- 
lowed by,  the  stupendous  scenes  of  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead,  the  last  judgment,  and  the  destruction 
of  the  world  by  fire.  About  scenes  so  awfully  su- 
blime as  these,  and  so  unlike  any  thing  that  mortal 
eye  has  gazed  upon,  and  of  which  the  sacred  writers 
speak  with  such  reserve,  it  is  certainly  rash  for  us 
to  speak  with  confidence,  either  as  to  the  time  or 
programme  of  their  occurrence.  The  revelations 
of  the  Apocalypse  on  this  whole  subject,  are  as  yet 
a  profound  mystery,  it  may  be,  reserved  for  the 
clearer  light  of  ages  yet  to  come,  and  providences 
yet  to  be  unfolded.  The  best  thing  we  can  do  on 
such  a  subject,  is  to  lay  aside  all  speculation,  and 
ponder  well  the  simple,  but  sublime  words  of  the 
apostles.  "  If  we  believe,  that  Jesus  died  and  rose 
again,"  says  Paul  to  the  Thessalonians,  "  even  so 
them  also  that  sleep  in  Jesus  will  God  bring  with 
him.  For  this  we  say  unto  you  by  the  word  of  the 
Lord,  that  we  who  are  alive  and  remain  unto  the 


154  THE    BEAUTY   OF  IMMANUEL. 

coming  of  the  Lord,  shall  not  prevent  (rise  before) 
them  who  are  asleep.  For  the  Lord  himself  shall 
descend  from  heaven  with  a  shout,  with  the  voice  of 
the  archangel  and  with  the  trump  of  God ;  and  the 
dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first.  Then  we  who  are 
alive  and  remain  shall  be  caught  up  together  with 
them  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air ; 
and  so  shall  we  ever  be  with  the  Lord."  With  this 
accords  what  he  says  to  the  Corinthians,  "  Behold, 
I  show  you  a  mystery.  We  shall  not  all  sleep,  but 
we  shall  all  be  changed,  in  a  moment,  in  the  twink- 
ling of  an  eye,  at  the  last  trump ;  for  the  trumpet 
shall  sound,  and  the  dead  shall  be  raised  incorrupti- 
ble, and  we  shall  be  changed,  Eor  this  corruptible 
must  put  on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal  must  put 
on  immortality.  So  when  this  corruptible  shall 
have  put  on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal  shall  have 
put  on  immortality,  then  shall  be  brought  to  pass  the 
saying,  that  is  written,  Death  is  swallowed  up  in  vic- 
tory. 0  death,  where  is  thy  sting?  0  grave,  where  is 
thy  victory  ?  The  sting  of  death  is  sin,  and  the  strength 
of  sin  is  the  law  ;  but  thanks  be  to  God,  who  giv- 
eth  us  the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 
With  this  also  agrees  the  solemn  language  of  St. 
Peter,  "  The  day  of  the  Lord  will  come  as  a  thief 
in  the  night ;  in  the  which  the  heavens  shall  pass  away 
with  a  great  noise,  and  the  elements  shall  melt  with 
fervent  heat,  the  earth  also,  and  the  works  that  are 
therein  shall  be  burned  up.  Seeing  then  that  all 
these  things  shall  be  dissolved,  what  manner  of  per- 


HIS    MEDIATORIAL    OFFICES    AND   WORK.         155 

sons  ought  ye  to  be  in  all  holy  conversation  and 
godliness,  looking  for  and  hasting  unto  the  com- 
ing of  the  day  of  God,  wherein  the  heavens  being 
on  fire  shall  be  dissolved,  and  the  elements  shall 
melt  with  fervent  heat.  Nevertheless,  we,  according 
to  his  promise,  look  for  new  heavens  and  a  new 
earth,  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness." 

It  ought  to  be  enough  for  us  to  know  that  he  shall 
come  again  in  glorious  majesty ;  that  it  is  one  of 
the  sure  promises  of  God ;  that  it  is  among  those 
unchangeable  decrees,  every  jot  and  tittle  of  which 
shall  stand  fast,  though  heaven  and  earth  pass  away. 
It  ought  to  be  enough  for  us,  that  it  is  not  only  re- 
vealed as  certain,  but  like  the  coming  of  death,  as 
imminent  to  all  generations  of  men.  As  no  man 
or  angel  can  say  when  it  shall  come ;  so  none  can 
say  when  it  shall  not.  It  is  certain  ;  it  will  be  sud- 
den, even  as  the  lightning  of  heaven  ;  and  it  may 
be  soon.  The  closing  message  of  the  Apocalypse 
is,  "  He  which  testifieth  these  things,  saith.  Surely, 
I  come  quickly.  Amen.  Even  so,  come.  Lord  Je- 
sus." Like  the  first  advent,  this  second  coming  is 
to  live,  as  a  fresh  perennial  hope,  in  the  heart  of  the 
church  until  it  is  realized  in  glorious  fruition.  It  is 
to  bring  unmingled  joy  and  glory  to  all  God's  chil- 
dren, not  only  at  the  close,  but  through  all  the 
stages  of  the  pilgrimage.  From  the  first  it  was 
intended  to  pour  a  stream  of  holy  joy,  by  anticipa- 
tion, along  the  whole  track  of  ages,  as  generation 
after  generation  of  the  saints  has  loved  and  longed 


156  THE   BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

for  his  appearing.  All  the  grand  events  in  the  his- 
tory of  redemption  have  been  so  arranged  as  to 
throw  their  celestial  radiance  both  forward  and 
backward  over  the  course  of  time.  It  was  so  with 
the  first  advent.  It  has  been  and  will  be  so  with 
the  second.  The  saints  who  live  before,  and  those 
who  come  after,  are  partakers  of  the  same  blessed 
influences  with  those  who  are  cotemporary  with  the 
transactions.  Faith  resting  on  the  testimony  of 
inspired  history  in  God's  word  looks  back  to  the 
cross  of  Calvary,  as  for  four  thousand  years  it 
looked  back  to  the  first  promise  in  Eden.  Faith 
and  hope,  resting  in  like  manner  on  the  sure  voice 
of  inspired  prophecy  in  God's  word,  looks  forward 
now  to  this  gloi'ious  revelation  of  the  Son  of  God 
from  heaven,  even  as,  for  four  thousand  years,  they 
pointed  the  eye  of  every  believer  to  the  first  mani- 
festation of  the  Son  of  God  in  the  flesh.  And  thus 
with  faith  looking  back  to  rest  on  all  that  God  has 
said  and  done,  with  hope  looking  forward  to  rest  on 
all  that  he  is  yet  to  do,  and  love  looking  up  to  rest 
on  all  that  he  is  in  his  own  glorious  person  and 
character,  the  whole  economy  of  salvation  is  so 
arranged,  that,  in  whatever  dispensation  of  the  church 
the  believer's  lot  is  cast,  he  has  all  the  fulness  of 
the  blessings  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  for  Christ  is 
ever  with  him,  and  Christ  is  all  in  all. 


THE   SAVING    POWER   OF    HIS   GOSPEL.  157 


CHAPTER    XII. 

THE  SAVING  POWER  OF  HIS  GOSPEL. 

All  these  great  facts  and  doctrines  connected 
with  the  person,  character,  ofEces,  and  work  of 
Christ  taken  together  constitute  the  gospel.  The 
essence  of  the  Bible  is  the  gospel ;  and  the  essence 
of  the  gospel  is  Christ.  In  the  history  of  Christ, 
in  his  life,  character,  labours,  suiferings,  death,  re- 
surrection, ascension,  and  Mediatorial  reign,  we  find 
the  great  truths  of  Divine  mercy  and  grace,  which 
every  sinner  must  embrace  in  order  to  be  saved,  and 
which  God  has  revealed  as  the  glad  tidings  of  great 
joy  to  all  people.  "  This  is  a  faithful  saying,  and 
worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Christ  Jesus  came 
into  the  world  to  save  sinners." 

This  story  of  Immanuel  reveals  the  way  and  the 
only  possible  way  of  salvation  for  any  soul  of  man. 
It  contains  the  only  facts,  the  only  remedy,  the 
only  influences,  which  meet  all  the  fearful  exigences 
of  our  lost  condition.  To  believe  this  story  in  all 
its  fulness  is  to  inherit  everlasting  life.  To  reject 
it  is  to  perish  utterly  and  for  ever. 

The  Apostle  Paul  gives  a  striking  summary  of 
the  great  facts  of  this  gospel,  in  their  immediate 
14 


158  THE   BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

connection  with  Christ,  when  he  says,  "  AYithout 
controversy,  great  is  the  mystery  of  godliness,  God 
was  manifest  in  the  flesh,  justified  in  the  Spirit, 
seen  of  angels,  preached  unto  the  Gentiles,  believed 
on  in  the  world,  received  up  into  glory."  These, 
indeed,  are  the  essential  facts  of  the  gospel,  without 
which  it  would  be  no  gospel.  It  is  only  because 
Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  is  in  it,  as  the  power  of  God 
and  the  wisdom  of  God  unto  salvation,  that  it  has 
any  efiicacy  in  saving  a  soul  from  death,  and  in  re- 
claiming a  world  from  sin.  As  Christ  therefore  is 
the  sum  and  substance  of  the  gospel,  and  we  have 
undertaken  to  unfold  his  glorious  life  and  character 
as  exhibited  in  all  that  he  hath  done  and  suifered ; 
having  thus  far  spoken  of  him  in  his  varied  estates, 
labours,  gifts,  virtues,  instructions,  offices,  miracles, 
and  mighty  works,  as  Immanuel,  the  Mediator  be- 
tween God  and  man,  it  remains  only  to  complete 
our  view  by  a  brief  survey  of  that  gospel  which  is 
the  great  result  or  effect  of  his  work.  This  gospel 
is  the  church's  great  treasure ;  the  world's  richest 
inheritance  ;  and  this,  with  all  its  blessed  influences, 
its  priceless  hopes  for  time  and  eternity,  we  owe  to 
Jesus.  In  the  course  of  ages  there  have  been  many 
gr'^at  benefactors  of  mankind,  who  have  toiled,  suf- 
fered, and  died,  to  leave  posterity  a  legacy  of  good. 
There  is  but  one  benefactor  who  has  left  mankind  a 
gospel  of  Divine  grace  and  salvation.  Let  us 
mark  well  the  secret  of  its  power.  "  The  weapons 
of  our  warfare,"  says  the  apostle,  "  are  not  carnal, 


THE    SAVING    POWER    OF   HIS    GOSPEL.  159 

but  mighty  through  God  to  the   pulling  down  of 
strong  holds." 

First  of  all  the  gospel  carries  with  it  the  con- 
vincing and  enlightening  power  of  the  truth.  It  is 
a  system  of  truth — the  very  truth  which  God  re- 
veals. Resting  all  its  claims  upon  the  evidence  of 
facts,  and  appealing  for  the  reality  of  its  facts  to 
the  testimony  of  God  and  man,  it  challenges  the 
scrutiny,  the  conviction,  the  belief,  the  homage 
of  every  rational  mind.  It  addresses  the  under- 
standing and  the  conscience  of  every  human  being. 
It  speaks  to  his  reason,  to  his  instincts,  to  his 
deepest  experience.  In  the  name  of  God  it  de- 
mands a  hearing ;  and  then  on  the  broad  basis  of 
infallible  proof,  it  demonstrates  itself  to  be  worthy 
of  all  acceptation.  And  thus,  as  the  accredited 
truth  of  God,  it  claims  the  assent  of  that  whole  in- 
tellectual and  moral  nature  which  God  has  given  to 
man  for  the  very  purpose  of  knowing  and  obeying 
the  truth.  The  human  soul  was  made  for  truth, 
eternal  truth.  It  must  feed  on  truth;  it  must  grow 
by  truth,  as  the  very  law  of  its  being,  the  aliment 
of  its  subsistence.  Nor  can  it  reject  the  truth 
without  doing  violence  to  its  nature.  In  like  manner, 
as  the  soul  is  God's  workmanship,  created  with  ca- 
pacities to  know  and  follow  the  truth,  the  gospel  is 
God's  workmanship — a  perfect  system  of  Divine 
truth — revealed  and  offered  to  man  in  his  darkness 
and  impotence  for  the  purpose  of  restoring  to  him 


160  THE    BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

that  liglit  of  truth  and  that  life  of  God  in  the  soul, 
■which  he  had  lost  by  sin. 

By  his  gospel,  therefore,  as  a  system  of  Divine, 
eternal  truth,  revealed  for  man's  salvation,  Christ 
speaks  to  all  the  world,  as  never  man  spake.  The 
Bible  is  full  of  examples,  and  the  world  itself, 
wherever  this  gospel  has  been  preached,  is  full  of 
examples  of  that  moral  power  by  which  his  words 
find  a  response  in  the  deepest  convictions  of  our 
nature,  and  cleave  their  way  to  the  inmost  experi- 
ence of  every  living  man.  When  he  reasons  of 
righteousness,  temperance,  and  a  judgment  to  come, 
as  he  did  in  the  days  of  his  earthly  ministry,  and 
as  he  does  through  all  the  sacred  pages  by  his  pro- 
phets and  apostles,  men  feel  that  their  very  con- 
sciences are  made  manifest,  and  that  they  are  open 
and  naked  to  the  eyes  of  Him  with  whom  they  have 
to  do.  Conscious  guilt  trembles,  like  Felix,  on  the 
very  throne  of  power.  He  slays  them  by  the 
breath  of  his  mouth.  His  word  of  truth  is  quick 
and  powerful,  sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword, 
piercing  even  to  the  dividing  asunder  of  soul  and 
spirit,  of  the  joints  and  marrow,  and  is  a  discerner 
of  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart.  In  this 
convincing  and  enlightening  power  over  the  human 
mind,  and  in  this  mastery  of  conscience,  there 
never  has  been  anything  on  earth  like  the  gospel. 

But  it  is  remarkable,  that,  while  revealing  to  us 
the  only  way  of  salvation  from  sin,  Christ  has 
taught  the  world  its  most  important  lessons  on  a 


THE    SAVING    POWER    OF    HIS    GOSPEL.  161 

thousand  other  subjects.  This  gospel  has  been 
found  to  be  the  great  reformer  and  civilizer  of  man. 
We  behold  in  it  not  alone  the  power  of  God  and  the 
wisdom  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  be- 
lieveth,  but  the  true  moral  life  of  all  nations.  It 
contains  all  the  truth  of  God  respecting  the  road  to 
heaven  and  the  hope  of  immortality.  It  also  con- 
tains the  most  important  truth  yet  known  to  man, 
respecting  all  the  highest  and  best  interests  of  the 
present  world.  It  is  the  true  elevator  of  all  human 
society.  It  is  the  only  civilizer  and  peacemaker 
among  the  nations.  There  is  a  far-reaching  wisdom 
in  this  gospel,  which,  from  the  beginning,  has  seemed 
to  comprehend  the  whole  problem  of  man's  wretch- 
edness, to  provide  for  all  his  wants,  to  anticipate  all 
his  boasted  discoveries  in  art  and  science,  and  to 
make  him  feel,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world,  that 
in  its  presence,  he  is  but  a  child  and  a  learner. 

The  highest  attainment  which  moral  philosophy 
has  yet  made  only  carries  us  back  to  the  words  of 
Jesus  as  its  most  fitting  formula,  "  Whatsoever  ye 
would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to 
them,  for  this  is  the  law  and  the  prophets."  Our 
whole  theory  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  as 
founded  upon  a  total  separation  of  church  and  state, 
seems  to  have  been  comprehended  in  that  memorable 
saying,  "  Render  therefore  to  Caesar  the  things  that 
are  Caesar's,  and  to  God  the  things  that  are  God's." 
The  wealth  of  nations,  the  progress  of  society,  the 
peace  and  prosperity  of  the  world,  the  true  political 
14  * 


162  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

economy  for  all  mankind,  were  all  announced  in  the 
maxim,  "  Put  up  thy  sword,  for  they  that  take  the 
sword  shall  also  perish  by  the  sword."  After 
eighteen  centuries  of  toil,  of  study,  and  of  advance- 
ment, it  is  remarkable  that  the  last  analysis  of  all 
our  mental,  moral,  political,  and  social  science,  only 
carries  us  back  to  the  simple  and  sublime,  yet  inci- 
dental, utterances  of  this  gospel,  for  its  truest  and 
best  exponent. 

Again ;  this  gospel  vindicates  itself  as  the  power 
and  wisdom  of  God,  because  it  comes  to  man  with 
all  the  attractive  and  constraining  power  of  Divine 
love.  It  reveals  God  as  the  God  of  love ;  it  ex- 
hibits God  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  unto 
himself  by  the  cross ;  its  great  plea  with  man  is, 
that  "  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only 
begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  hira 
should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life ;"  and 
its  universal  proclamation  is,  "  Ho,  every  one  that 
thirstcth,  come  ye  to  the  waters.  And  the  Spirit 
and  the  Bride  say.  Come,  and  let  him  that  heareth 
say,  Come,  and  let  him  that  is  athirst  come,  and 
whosoever  will,  let  hira  take  the  water  of  life 
freely."  It  is  a  gospel  of  love,  conceived  in  the  in- 
finite love  of  God  the  Father,  executed  in  the 
amazing  self-sacrificing  love  of  God  the  Son,  and 
applied  by  the  constraining  love  of  God  the  Spirit. 
Flowing  from  the  inexhaustible  fountain  of  Divine 
love,  all  other  love  excelling,  its  effect  is  love — 
universal   love   of   man   to   his    brother  man,   and 


THE   SAVING    POWER    OF    HIS    GOSPEL.         163 

eternal  love  of  man  to  his  redeeming  God.  We 
love  him  because  he  first  loved  us.  Love  is  the 
moral  philosophy  of  the  gospel.  Love  is  its  grand 
motive,  by  which  faith  works,  purifying  the  heart 
and  overcoming  the  world.  Love  is  the  fulfilling 
of  all  its  laws.  Love  is  the  vital  principle  of  all 
its  obedience.  It  is  by  the  power  of  love  that  it 
wins  the  human  heart,  and  gains  all  its  proudest 
triumphs  over  the  world,  and  the  flesh,  and  the  devil. 
There  is,  perhaps,  nothing  which  more  distinguishes 
the  gospel  from  all  the  systems  and  devices  of  hu- 
man philosophy,  and  demonstrates  it  to  be  the 
mighty  power  of  God,  than  this  wonderful  manner 
in  Avhich  it  has  revealed  the  love  of  God.  It  has 
thus  bound  the  human  heart  in  chains  of  everlasting 
love  to  God,  and  encircled  the  earth  Avith  a  network 
of  holy  influences,  which  shall  one  day  bring  it  in 
willing  and  adoring  homage  to  Immanuel's  feet. 

Still  further,  this  gospel  makes  its  appeal  to  the 
heart  of  every  living  and  dying  man,  as  nothing 
else  has  ever  done  or  can  do,  because  it  carries  with 
it  the  power  of  a  Divine  consolation.  It  is  the 
friend  and  helper  of  the  wretched,  the  perishing, 
the  lost.  It  is  the  only  thing  on  earth  that  can 
speak  peace  to  the  troubled  soul,  and  whisper  hope 
in  the  ear  of  the  dying  sinner.  When  all  other 
resources  fail,  when  friends  and  comforters  have  all 
foi'saken  us,  when  the  very  cords  of  life  are  break- 
ing, and  nothing  is  left  us  but  to  die,  there  is  a  voice 
here  which  can  give  us  courage  and  consolation  amid 


164  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

the  darkness  of  the  vallej  and  shadow  of  death. 
Through  all  the  trials  of  life,  and  all  the  dangers 
of  dissolving  nature,  the  soul  that  hath  laid  hold 
upon  the  hope  of  this  gospel,  can  look  up,  with 
calm  confidence,  and  say :  "  Thou  art  with  me,  I 
will  fear  no  evil.  Thy  rod  and  thy  staff,  they  com- 
fort me."  Here  is  the  patience  of  the  saints. 
Here  is  the  hope  of  the  hlessed.  Here  is  the  strong 
consolation  of  tlie  cross.  He,  who  was  touched 
with  the  feeling  of  our  infirmities,  who  hath  borne 
our  griefs  and  carried  our  sorrows,  who  was  bruised 
for  our  iniquities,  and  had  the  chastisement  of  our 
peace  laid  upon  him,  who  passed  through  the  iron 
gates  of  death  before  us,  and  was  made  perfect 
through  sufi"erings,  hath  spoken  to  us,  by  his  gospel, 
such  words  of  consolation  as  never  man  spake. 
Clothed  in  all  the  tender  compassions  of  our  mortal 
nature,  and,  at  the  same  time,  arrayed  in  all  the  glori- 
ous attributes  of  the  Godhead,  having  authority  on 
earth  to  forgive  sins,  and  power  to  destroy  all  the  ene- 
mies of  our  souls,  he  was  able  to  offer  strong  consola- 
tion to  all  the  sons  and  daughters  of  sorroAV,  While 
upon  earth  he  spake,  and  now  that  he  is  gone  up  to 
glory  he  still  speaks,  in  all  the  invitations  and  offers 
of  this  gospel,  words  of  pardon,  of  peace,  of  comfort, 
of  loving  sympathy,  of  grace  and  mercy,  such  as 
mortal  tongues  have  never  spoken,  such  as  human 
ears  had  never  heard  before.  "  To  you,  0  men,  I 
call,  and  my  voice  is  to  the  sons  of  men !  Come 
unto  me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden, 


THE   SAVING    POWER    OP    HIS    GOSPEL.         165 

and  I  win  give  you  rest.  Take  my  yoke  upon  you 
and  learn  of  me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in 
heart,  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls." 

To  the  weeping  sisters  at  the  grave  of  Lazarus, 
he  said,  as  he  alone  could  say,  "  Thy  brother  shall 
rise  again.  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life. 
He  that  believeth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet 
shall  he  live.  And  whosoever  liveth  and  believeth 
in  me  shall  never  die."  To  the  poor,  blind  Bar- 
timeus,  on  the  way-side  as  he  passed  by  at  Jericho, 
who  rose  and  pressed  towards  him  through  the 
crowd,  crying,  "Jesus,  thou  son  of  David,  have 
compassion  on  me,"  he  said,  "Go  thy  way,  thy 
faith  hath  made  thee  whole."  On  the  last  great 
day  of  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  he  stood  and  cried 
in  the  hearing  of  the  thousands  of  Israel,  and  of 
the  officers  who  had  been  commissioned  to  arrest 
him,  with  accents  of  love  and  mercy  which  ought 
to  have  melted  the  hearts  of  all  that  dying  multi- 
tude, "  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me 
and  drink."  To  his  faithful  but  sorrowing  disciples, 
on  the  night  before  he  suffered,  the  last  night  he 
was  to  be  with  them  on  earth,  he  spake  those  pre- 
cious and  memorable  words  so  full  of  love,  so  over- 
flowing with  Divine  consolation :  "  Let  not  your 
heart  be  troubled  ;  ye  believe  in  God,  believe  also 
in  me.  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions. 
I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you.  In  this  Avorld  ye 
shall  have  tribulation ;  but  be  of  good  cheer,  I 
have  overcome  the  world.     Peace  I  leave  with  you; 


166  THE    BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

mj  peace  I  give  unto  you ;  not  as  the  world  giveth, 
give  I  unto  you."  To  the  poor  penitent  thief  on 
the  cross  at  his  side,  who  turned  to  him  his  dying 
eyes  and  prayed,  "  Lord,  remember  me  when  thou 
comest  into  thy  kingdom,"  he  said,  "This  day  shalt 
thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise." 

And  still  that  voice  of  love  and  mercy,  that  voice 
of  hope  for  the  perishing,  and  strong  consolation  for 
the  penitent,  sorrowing  soul,  is  ringing  through  all 
the  world.  In  the  wretched  abodes  of  poverty  and 
sin,  in  the  dark  prison  houses  of  sin  and  shame, 
this  gospel  still  utters  its  proclamations  of  mercy 
from  the  Lord,  saying,  "  Come  now,  and  let  us 
reason  together,  saith  the  Lord.  Though  your  sins 
be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white  as  snow ;  though 
they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool." 
From  the  beginning  it  has  been  preached  to  the 
poor.  It  is  adapted  to  the  deepest  necessities  and 
wants  of  the  poor.  It  comes  and  offers  its  richest 
consolations  without  money  and  without  price. 
Wherever  wretchedness  can  cry  for  mercy  and 
helplessness  can  trust,  there  may  all  its  saving 
power  be  felt.  In  the  chambers  of  disease  and 
suffering,  where  heart  and  flesh  are  failing  fast, 
and  the  world  is  receding  from  the  view  of  the 
dying,  there  its  voice  of  consolation  may  be  heard 
in  strains  as  sweet  as  angels  use,  whispering  peace 
to  the  soul.  In  the  silent  cemeteries  of  the  dead — 
on  all  their  marble  monuments,  over  all  their  solemn 
gateways  and  sepulchral   arches,   graven   with  an 


THE    SAVING    POWER    OF   HIS    GOSPEL.  167 

iron  pen  and  load  in  tlie  rock  for  ever,  are  inscribed 
the  words  of  this  gospel — the  living  words  of  Jesus. 
And  there  are  no  other  words  on  mortal  tongues 
which  can  take  their  places.  In  the  sacred  presence 
of  our  buried  dead,  in  the  darkened  chambers  of 
the  suffering  sick,  and  on  all  those  occasions  where 
human  hearts  lie  crushed  and  bleeding  in  the  dust 
of  affliction,  we  instinctively  feel,  that  there  are  no 
words  fit  to  utter  except  the  words  of  Jesus.  These 
alone  are  sacred  enough  for  our  sorrow.  And  these 
alone  can  tell  us  of  hope,  of  immortality,  of  Divine 
consolation. 

But,  last  of  all,  and  above  all,  this  gospel  is  the 
mighty  power  of  God  for  the  pulling  down  of  the 
strongholds  of  sin  and  Satan,  because  it  is  ever  ac- 
companied by  the  energies  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  the 
third  person  of  the  adorable  Trinity.  We  must  not 
forget  that,  while  the  gospel  is  the  special  result  of 
the  work  of  Christ,  it  is  at  the  same  time  the  united 
work  of  all  the  persons  of  the  Godhead.  It  is,  in 
fact,  a  revelation  and  a  manifestation  of  the  Triune 
God,  requiring  the  work  and  agency  of  each 
adorable  person  in  the  unfolding  of  its  scheme  of 
mercy,  and  displaying,  in  turn,  both  to  men  and  to 
angels,  their  glorious  attributes  and  character.  In 
this,  more  than  in  any  other  work  of  his  hands,  God 
has  unfolded  the  riches  of  his  grace  and  glory,  in 
making  known  to  us  the  mysterious  union  of  Father, 
Son,  and  Holy  Ghost  in  the  Godhead. 

In  analyzing  the  elements  of  influence  over  man, 


168  THE   BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

as  wielded  by  the  gospel,  we  have  seen  that  it  carries 
with  it,  first,  the  mighty  power  of  Divine  truth,  and 
then  the  attractive  power  of  Divine  love,  and  then, 
again,  the  power  of  Divine  consolation ;  and  that, 
having  all  these  inherent  elements  of  success,  it  is 
adapted  to  do  the  work  and  accomplish  the  end  for 
which  God  designed  it.  But  there  is  another  power 
— a  power  over  and  above  all  these,  which  is  abso- 
lutely essential  to  their  efEciency.  It  is  the  power 
of  the  Spirit  of  God.  It  is  that  Divine  power  which 
sets  all  the  other  powers  of  truth,  and  love,  and 
consolation  to  work.  It  is  a  power  not  lodged  in 
the  gospel  like  truth,  and  love,  and  consolation, 
which  can  act  only  as  it  is  acted  on,  but  ever  coming 
down  from  above  to  accompany  the  gospel  wherever 
it  is  preached,  in  order  to  apply  its  truth,  to  unfold 
its  love,  and  give  its  consolation  to  the  heart  of  man. 
This  is  the  grand  secret  of  all  its  efficiency  and  suc- 
cess in  opening  the  eyes,  winning  the  hearts,  and 
saving  the  souls  of  dying  men.  This  is  the  special 
work  and  office  of  the  Holy  Ghost — to  apply  the 
gospel  and  make  it  effectual  to  our  salvation. 

Still,  in  contemplating  the  gospel  as  the  result  of 
the  work  of  Christ,  this  agency  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
must  be  included.  The  Comforter,  according  to  the 
etei-nal  covenant  of  redemption,  and  according  to 
his  promise  when  he  departed,  was  sent  forth  from 
the  Father,  to  take  his  phtce  in  the  church  and  to 
carry  on  his  work.  Christ's  only  true  Vicar  and 
Representative  on  earth  is  this  Comforter,  the  Holy 


THE   SAVING    POWER    OF   HIS   GOSPEL.  1G9 

Ghost.  Hence  the  whole  Avork  of  the  Spirit  in  the 
hearts  of  men  is,  in  one  sense,  the  work  of  Christ, 
even  as  in  another  sense  it  is  also  the  work  of  the 
Father.  This  Divine  agency  of  the  Spirit,  in  ap- 
plying the  truth  of  God  to  the  hearts  of  men,  and 
so  making  the  redeeming  work  of  Christ  effectual 
to  their  salvation,  was  only  a  part  of  the  grand 
economy  of  grace.  While  each  person  of  the  God- 
head fills  his  own  office,  and  performs  a  special 
woi-k,  they  all  work  together  in  such  a  manner,  that 
what  one  does  may  be  ascribed  to  the  others  also. 
Our  Saviour  was  explicit  on  this  point,  when  he 
said,  "My  Father  worketh  hitherto  and  I  work.  I 
came  not  to  do  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  him 
that  sent  me,  and  to  finish  his  work.  I  do  nothincr 
of  myself,  but  as  my  Father  hath  tauglit  me,  I 
speak  these  things.  And  he  that  sent  me  is  with 
me ;  the  Father  hath  not  left  me  alone ;  for  I  do 
always  those  things  that  please  him."  The  same 
intimate  union  of  purpose,  and  communion  in  work 
which  thus  existed  between  the  Father  and  the  Son, 
even  while  the  Son  was  on  earth,  also  exists  between 
the  Spirit  and  the  Son,  now  that  the  Son  hath  as- 
cended to  his  mediatorial  throne,  and  the  Spirit,  in 
the  bosom  of  the  church  below,  is  still  carrying  on 
his  work.  And  so  this  power  of  the  Divine  Spirit, 
which  accompanies  the  preached  gospel,  even  as 
from  the  beginning  of  revelation  it  has  inspired  the 
word  of  God  in  all  the  Scriptures,  and  made  that 
word  effectual  to  salvation,  may  be  regarded  as  one 
15 


170  THE    BEAUTY   OP   IMMANUEL. 

grand  department  of  the  work  of  Christ.  The 
Spirit  itself,  like  all  the  other  blessed  influences  of 
the  gospel,  is  the  gift  of  Christ,  and  the  very  pur- 
chase of  his  death.  "  If  I  go  not  away,  the  Com- 
forter will  not  come  to  you,  but  if  I  depart,  I  will 
send  him  unto  you.  And  when  he  is  come  he  will 
teach  you  all  things,  and  bring  all  things  to  your 
remembrance,  whatsoever  I  have  said  unto  you. 
He  shall  reprove  the  world  of  sin,  and  of  righteous- 
ness, and  of  judgment  to  come." 

While,  therefore,  the  Spirit  is  the  Comforter  sent 
by  Christ  to  communicate  the  consolations  of  the 
gospel,  he  is  also  the  great  reprover  to  enforce  upon 
the  conscience  of  man,  all  its  doctrines,  precepts, 
promises,  and  warnings.  And  this  Divine  Instructor 
is  always  in  the  bosom  of  the  church,  to  accompany 
and  make  eflectual  the  preaching  of  the  word:  "Go 
ye  and  teach  all  nations :  lo,  I  am  with  you  always, 
even  to  the  end  of  the  world."  Though  this 
treasure  of  truth  divine  is  borne  by  earthen  vessels, 
yet  its  efficiency  is  of  God.  Man  works  and  God 
works.  And  God  hath  chosen  the  weakness  of 
man's  agency  in  the  work  of  preaching  this  gospel, 
that  the  mighty  power  might  be  seen  to  be  of  God. 
And  thus  it  is  that  the  gospel  is  sure  of  success — 
final  and  complete  success.  Despite  of  human 
weakness  and  folly,  despite  of  open  enemies  and 
false  friends,  foes  without  and  traitors  within,  over 
all  the  opposition  of  earth  and  hell,  it  shall  triumph 
gloriously.     God  will  not  let  it  fail.     "He  shall  see 


THE   SAVING    POWER   OF   HIS    GOSPEL.         171 

of  the  travail  of  his  soul  and  be  satisfied,"  is  the 
promise  to  the  Mediator.  And  this  is  the  grand 
office  and  end  of  all  the  Spirit's  work  in  the  soul — 
to  make  the  work  of  Christ  for  the  soul  effectual  to 
its  complete  salvation. 

Well  might  the  apostle  say,  "  I  am  sure,  that 
when  I  come  unto  you,  I  will  come  in  the  fulness 
of  the  blessing  of  the  gospel  of  Christ."  He  felt 
that  this  story  of  the  cross  which  he  preached 
was  indeed  a  gospel  of  good  things,  complete  in  all 
its  parts,  adequate  in  all  its  powers,  worthy  of  God 
and  man.  It  is,  indeed,  full  of  incomprehensible 
wonders,  mysterious  doctrines,  far  above  reason's 
grasp,  amazing  scenes,  past  and  yet  to  come,  which 
can  be  received  only  on  the  testimony  of  God. 
But  it  is  just  as  full  of  great  facts,  and  heart  ex- 
periences, and  plain  palpable  doctrines  which  every 
sane  man  knows  to  be  true,  and  to  be  the  most  im- 
portant of  all  truth.  And  perhaps  the  most  amaz- 
ing thing  of  all  is,  that  any  human  being  can  reject 
it :  that,  in  a  world  of  darkness  and  death,  where 
there  is  no  other  light,  and  no  other  possible  chance 
of  life,  guilty,  dying  man  should  turn  away  in  his 
impotent  folly,  spurning  the  only  arm  that  can  save 
him.  Surely  the  greatest  of  all  sins — the  most  un- 
reasonable, the  most  unaccountable,  and  the  most 
fatal,  is  the  sin  of  unbelief — the  sin  of  rejecting  the 
Son  of  God.  How  would  it  strike  the  mind  of  man 
with  astonishment,  if  he  could  see  such  a  spectacle 
among  the  fallen  angels,  as  that  which  this  world 


172  THE    BEAUTY    OP    IMMANUEL. 

now  presents  to  the  universe  in  the  case  of  every 
unbelieving  sinner  !  If  God  had  visited  the  lost 
angels  with  such  mercy,  and  such  offers  of  life  as 
he  makes  to  us  in  the  gospel,  what  would  man  thiuk 
if  he  should  see  all  hell  arrayed  in  opposition  to 
God's  ambassador ;  despising  every  overture  of  re- 
conciliation; and,  at  last,  rising  up  in  wrath  against 
him,  as  man  rose  against  the  incarnate  Son  of  God? 
What  would  man  think  if  he  could  see  the  immacu- 
late Son  of  God  visiting  the  lost  and  ruined  spirits 
of  the  pit,  in  their  dark  abodes;  standing  with  them 
for  a  season  on  the  burning  soil  of  hell ;  paying  their 
penalty  and  bearing  their  curse  as  he  did  ours ;  of- 
fering them  redemption  through  his  blood  as  he  does 
to  us ;  weeping  over  their  sin  and  folly  in  all  the 
tenderness  of  Divine  compassion ;  saying  as  he  did 
to  the  sinners  of  lost  Jerusalem,  "Oh  thou  that 
killest  the  prophets,  and  stonest  them  that  are  sent 
unto  thee,  how  often  would  I  have  gathered  thee,  as 
a  hen  doth  gather  her  brood  under  her  wings,  but 
ye  would  not !"  and  then,  at  last,  as  rejected,  de- 
spised, crucified,  he  dies  at  their  hands,  crying, 
"  Father,  forgive  them,  they  know  not  what  they 
do,"  and  all  in  vain  because  of  their  unbelief!  But 
this  is  not  the  sin  of  devils.  It  is  the  sin  of  unbe- 
lieving men. 

Unbelieving  men,  in  their  amazing  folly  and 
wickedness,  reject  this  gospel,  notwithstanding  all 
its  evidences,  all  its  promises  of  life,  all  its  manifes- 
tations of   Divine  love  and  mercy.     They  see  no 


THE   SAVING   POWER   OF   HIS    GOSPEL.         173 

beauty  in  it  that  they  should  desire  it.  Though 
angels  desire  to  look  into  it ;  though  the  world  is 
full  of  the  trophies  of  its  power ;  though  heaven  is 
already  peopled  with  myriads  of  happy  spirits,  re- 
deemed through  its  blessed  influences;  though  kings, 
and  prophets,  and  nobles  of  the  earth  looked  for- 
ward through  distant  ages,  rejoicing  in  its  glad 
tidings;  and  apostles  could  say,  "  God  forbid  that  we 
should  glory  save  in  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  by  whom  the  world  is  crucified  unto  us  and 
we  unto  the  world;"  still  unbelieving  men,  who  have 
their  all  at  stake  upon  the  issue — a  heaven  to  gain, 
or  a  heaven  to  lose  by  it — see  no  beauty  in  Im- 
manuel,  no  glory  in  this  gospel  of  God's  grace. 
"He  was  in  the  world,  and  the  world  was  made  by 
him,  and  the  world  knew  him  not."  Through  his 
preached  gospel,  and  by  the  mighty  working  of  his 
Spirit,  everywhere  bearing  witness  in  the  hearts  of 
men  to  the  truth  and  power  of  that  gospel,  he  is 
still  in  the  world;  the  world  has  been  redeemed  by 
him ;  and  yet  the  unbelieving  know  him  not,  admire 
him  not,  receive  him  not.  In  all  ages  past  it  has 
been  true,  and  it  is  still  tx'ue,  that  there  are  some  to 
whom  this  glorious  gospel  has  been  hid.  It  is  to 
some  a  savour  of  life  unto  life,  to  others  a  savour 
of  death  unto  death.  From  the  very  nature  of  it 
as  a  remedy  for  sin — as  God's  only  remedy  for  sin 
— it  can  leave  no  man  as  it  finds  him.  It  must 
cure  or  kill.  It  must  save  him  from  condemnation 
and  give  him  life  for  evermore,  or  it  will  sink  him 
15* 


174  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

down  to  a  deeper  and  a  darker  Avoe,  with  tlie  aggra- 
vated guilt  of  having  rejected  the  Son  of  God. 

The  apostle  John,  in  the  opening  of  his  history 
of  this  gospel,  describes  the  case  not  only  of  his 
own  countrymen,  but  of  the  men  of  all  countries 
and  all  generations  thus  far,  where  the  gospel  has 
been  preached.  "He  came  unto  his  own  and  his 
own  received  him  not.  But  as  many  as  received  him, 
to  them  gave  he  power  to  become  the  sons  of  God, 
even  to  them  that  believe  on  his  name ;  who  were  born, 
not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the 
■will  of  man,  but  of  God."  The  turning  point  in 
the  character  and  destinies  of  men,  is  at  the  cross. 
All  things  for  time  and  eternity  hang  on  their  re- 
ception or  rejection  of  the  Son  of  God.  To  receive 
him,  to  believe  on  his  name,  to  trust  in  him,  is  to 
become  a  son  of  God,  an  heir  of  glory.  To  receive 
him,  as  he  is  freely  offered  in  the  gospel  to  every 
perishing  sinner  of  our  race,  is  to  be  born  of  God 
by  a  new,  celestial  birth.  To  reject  him,  to  turn 
away  from  him,  to  find  no  beauty  in  him,  is  to  die ; 
because  it  is  to  reject  the  only  remedy  which  God 
has  provided  for  our  lost  estate,  and  to  continue 
under  that  curse  and  condemnation  which  is  upon  us 
already — which  is  death.  So  that  wherever  the  gos- 
pel goes,  it  must  of  necessity  draw  a  line,  deep,  broad, 
and  ineffaceable,  between  those  who  receive  the  Son 
of  God  by  believing  on  him,  and  those  who  by  unbe- 
lief reject  him.  Even  as  he  declai-ed,  when,  having 
finished  the  work  of  man's  redemption,  he  ascended 


THE    SAVING    POWER    OF    HIS    GOSPEL.  175 

to  heaven  and  said,  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and 
preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature.  He  that  be- 
lieveth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved ;  but  he  that 
believeth  not  shall  be  damned." 

What  then  is  it  to  believe  ?  What  is  the  essence 
of  that  faith  in  Christ  by  which  he  is  received,  and 
through  which  he  saves  the  soul?  "He  is  the  power 
of  God  and  the  wisdom  of  God  to  all  them  that 
believe."  And  he  commands  all  men  every  where  to 
repent  and  believe  the  gospel.  Nothing,  therefore, 
can  be  more  important  than  that  we  should  under- 
stand what  it  is  to  believe,  what  it  is  to  have  a  sav- 
ing faith  in  Christ.  It  is  the  glory  of  the  gospel 
that  it  does  not  leave  us  in  any  doubt  or  uncertainty 
on  this  essential  point.  It  is  the  glory  of  the  gospel 
that  this  one  act  of  the  soul,  whereby  we  receive 
and  rest  upon  Christ  alone  for  salvation,  whilst  it 
is  a  saving  grace  wrought  in  us  by  God's  Spirit,  is 
as  simple  and  intelligible  as  any  act  of  man  can 
be.  It  is  so  simple  that  the  wayfaring  man,  though 
a  fool  as  to  other  things,  need  not  mistake  it. 

It  is  first  to  assent  to  the  truth  respecting  Christ 
as  true,  and  then  to  approve  it  as  good,  and  then  to 
trust  the  soul  upon  him  for  salvation.  To  see  him 
as  he  is  revealed  in  the  gospel,  to  understand  who 
he  is,  to  approve  and  admire  him  as  the  Saviour  we 
need,  and  then  to  renounce  all  other  dependence, 
and  trust  in  him  alone  for  salvation — this  is  to  re- 
ceive Christ,  this  is  to  believe.  It  is  not  enough 
merely  to   assent   to   the   truth,  to   understand  the 


176  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

truth,  to  accept  the  truth  as  true.  For  ungodly 
men  may  do  this  as  well  as  true  believers.  The 
truth  may  be  held  in  unrighteousness.  In  this  sense 
the  devils  believe,  and  yet  tremble.  Nor  is  it 
enough,  after  understanding  and  assenting  to  the 
truth,  merely  to  approve  and  admire  the  truth  as 
good.  Many  wicked  and  unbelieving  men  have  in 
their  inmost  hearts  admired  the  character  of  Christ, 
and  given  their  approbation  to  the  doctrines  of  the 
Bible.  But  they  never  came  to  Christ  for  salva- 
tion, never  trusted  in  him.  The  angels  in  heaven 
approve  and  admire  all  the  truth  respecting  the 
■work  and  character  of  Christ.  But  they  do  not 
trust,  they  need  not  trust  in  him  for  salvation  ;  and 
hence  they  cannot  exercise  that  saving  faith  which 
is  required  of  us.  We  see,  then,  that  the  essential 
thing  in  a  true,  saving  faith,  which  distinguishes  it 
from  every  thing  else,  is  to  trust  in  Christ,  or  com- 
mit our  souls  to  his  hands  for  salvation.  We  may 
understand  and  assent  to  the  truth,  even  as  wicked 
men  and  devils  do ;  we  may  approve  and  admire  the 
truth,  even  as  the  angels  do  ;  but  any  thing  short  of 
a  personal  trust  and  committing  of  our  souls  to 
Christ  is  short  of  saving  faith. 

These  two  things — the  assent  of  the  understand- 
ing to  the  truth,  and  the  heart's  approval  of  it  as 
good — always  accompany  the  act  of  saving  faith. 
But  alone  they  do  not  constitute  it.  For  they  may 
exist  without  it  as  we  have  just  seen.  We  must 
first  understand  the  truth  before  we  can  approve  it, 


THE    SAVING    POWER   OF   HIS   GOSPEL.         177 

and  we  must  approve  it   before   we   can   trust   our 
souls  upon  it.      So  that  in  every  case  of  true  saving 
faith  there  will  be  first  an  intelligent  conviction  of 
the  truth  on  evidence,  as  revealed  in  the  Scriptures, 
and  then  a  moral  perception  and   approval  of  it  as 
good  and  necessary,  and  then  a  cordial  embracing  of 
it  by  trusting  our  souls  into  the   Saviour's  hands. 
"  Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go  ?     Thou  hast  the  words 
of  eternal  life."     This  is  the  confession  of  one  who 
understands  the  way  of  salvation  as  opened  through 
Christ  alone,  whose  heart   and  conscience  approve 
of  that  way,  and  who  has  staked  his  own  soul  upon 
it  by  a  personal  application  to  Christ.     Peter  takes 
God's    testimony    as   true,    sees    that   he    needs    a 
Saviour,  and  that  Christ  is  the  only  Saviour ;  Peter 
sees  that  this  salvation  through  Christ  alone,  is  not 
only  true,  but  good,  desirable ;  worthy  of  all  accep- 
tation as  the  one  thing  needful ;  and  with  his  mind 
resting  on  this  conviction  of  truth,  and  his  heart 
filled  with  this  moral  approbation  of  it  as  good,  he 
trusts  his  all  to   Christ  for  time   and  eternity,  he 
comes  to  Christ,  he  receives  and  rests  on  Christ  for 
salvation.     This  is  faith.    This  is  what  every  sinner 
must  do  in  order  to  be  saved.     He  must  give  up  all 
other   hopes,   and    commit    his    case    personally   to 
Christ.     This  is  all   that  he  can  do.     This  is  the 
very  least  he  ought  to  wish  to  do.     The  act  is  just 
analogous  to  that  of   a  poor  sick  man,  labouring 
under  some  fatal  malady,  who  has  tried  a  thousand 
remedies  in  vain,  but  at  last  finds  one  physician  of 


178  THE    BEAUTY   OP   IMMANUEL. 

whose  skill  he  is  convinced,  and  -whose  mode  of 
treatment  he  approves,  and  in  the  strength  of  these 
convictions,  commits  his  case  and  trusts  his  life  into 
his  hands.  So  here,  for  all  the  deeper  maladies  of 
the  soul  there  is  balm  in  Gilead,  there  is  a  safe  and 
skilful  physician.  There  is  but  one.  It  is  Im- 
manuel.  And  the  thing  we  have  to  do  is  to  apply 
to  him  for  help,  to  submit  the  case  to  him,  to  trust 
in  him.     This  is  the  saving  faith  of  the  gospel. 

Well  may  the  apostle  speak  of  this  remedy  for 
sin  as  the  "glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed  God."  It 
is  alike  glorious  in  its  grandeur  ajid  in  its  simplicity, 
glorious  in  all  its  Divine  provisions,  glorious  in  its 
adaptation  to  man's  necessities,  and  glorious  in  the 
plain,  equitable,  and  gracious  terms  on  which  it 
oflfers  salvation  to  the  perishing.  It  is  simply,  be- 
lieve and  live,  believe  what  God  has  spoken,  ap- 
prove what  God  has  done,  accept  what  God  has 
offered  in  his  Son.  For  God  has  no  pleasure  in  the 
death  of  the  sinner ;  God,  Avho  created  the  soul,  has 
given  his  Son  to  redeem  it ;  and  the  great  message 
of  the  gospel  to  every  soul  is,  repent,  believe,  and 
live,  in  view  of  what  Christ  has  done ;  for  God  is  in 
Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto  himself.  "For  God 
sent  not  his  Son  into  the  world  to  condemn  the 
world,  but  that  the  world  through  him  might  be 
saved." 

But  notwithstanding  the  way  of  salvation  is  so 
plain,  the  terms  of  the  gospel  so  easy,  the  character 
of  Immanuel  so  attract' ve,  and  all  his  promises  and 


THE   SAVING    POWER   OF   HIS   GOSPEL.         179 

invitations  so  blessed  and  glorious,  there  have  al- 
ways been  thousands  to  whom  all  these  things  have 
been  but  as  sounding  brass  or  a  tinkling  cymbal. 
The  human  heart  may  be  so  dead  to  all  that  is 
bright  and  glorious,  as  not  to  know  when  its  greatest 
good  Cometh.  Amid  the  most  splendid  manifesta- 
tions of  eternal  power  and  wisdom,  there  are  men 
who  can  walk  unconscious  of  the  presence  of  a  God. 
And  so  amid  all  the  triumphs  of  gospel  grace,  and 
all  the  glories  of  Immanuel's  person,  there  have 
been,  and  are  human  hearts  that  can  see  no  beauty 
in  him  that  they  should  desire  him,  and  no  reason 
why  they  should  believe  on  him.  He  is  to  them  as 
he  was  to  the  Jews  of  old,  a  stumbling  block,  or  as 
he  was  to  the  Greeks,  foolishness.  Writing  to  the 
Corinthians,  the  apostle  Paul  said,  "  After  that,  in 
the  wisdom  of  God,  the  world  by  wisdom  knew  not 
God,  it  pleased  God  by  the  foolishness  of  preaching 
to  save  them  that  believe.  For  the  Jcavs  require  a 
sign  and  the  Greeks  seek  after  wisdom;  but  we 
preach  Christ  crucified,  unto  the  Jews  a  stumbling 
block,  and  unto  the  Greeks  foolishness;  but  unto 
them  which  are  called,  both  Jcavs  and  Greeks,  Christ 
the  power  of  God  and  the  wisdom  of  God.  Because 
the  foolishness  of  God  is  wiser  than  men,  and  the 
weakness  of  God  is  stronger  than  men." 

In  this  passage  there  are  three  distinct  types  of 
character  brought  into  view,  which  represent  very 
accurately  the  different  classes  that  have  existed  in 
every  age  under  the  preaching  of  the  gospel.    They 


180  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

are  the  Jew,  the  Greek,  and  the  called  of  God.  We 
have  here  the  formal,  superstitious,  wonder-loving 
Jew,  accustomed  to  miracles,  and  ready  to  demand 
a  sign  from  heaven  as  the  only  warrant  for  his  faith. 
We  have  then  the  philosophizing,  incredulous  Greek, 
scouting  every  thing  as  fable  and  foolishness,  which 
does  not  answer  to  his  inward  sense  of  beauty  and 
wisdom.  And  we  have  also  the  humble,  evangelical 
believer  in  Christ,  called  of  God,  and  taught  by  the 
Spirit  to  put  no  confidence  in  Jewish  ceremony,  or 
Grecian  wisdom,  as  touching  the  things  of  the  soul's 
salvation.  Wherever  this  gospel  was  proclaimed  by 
Paul  and  his  fellow  apostles,  most  men  who  heard 
it  long  enough  to  know  what  it  taught,  and  to  be 
affected  by  it,  might  have  been  ranged  into  three 
distinct  classes,  not  inaptly  represented  by  the  Jew, 
the  Greek,  and  the  called  of  God.  And  from  that 
day  to  this,  wherever  it  has  been  faithfully  preached, 
these  three  ancient  types  have  generally  reappeared, 
well  defining  the  positions  of  all  who  have  heard 
the  gospel,  and  the  feelings  with  which  they  have 
either  received  or  rejected  the  messages  of  God. 
Always  and  everywhere  it  has  met  with  the  Jew, 
the  Greek,  and  the  humble  believer.  To  some  it 
is  still  what  it  was  to  the  self-righteous,  ceremonious 
Jew,  a  stumbling  block.  To  some  it  is  still  just 
what  it  was  to  the  self-complacent,  boastful  Greek, 
foolishness.  While  to  some,  called  from  the  ranks 
of  both  Jews  and  Greeks,  it  is  still  all  that  it  was 


THE   SAVING   POWER   OF   HIS   GOSPEL.         181 

to  the  primitive  disciples,  the  poAver  of  God  and  the 
"wisdom  of  God  unto  salvation. 

And  thus  also,  answering  to  these  three  classes 
into  which  from  the  beginning  the  hearers  of  the 
gospel  have  been  divided,  there  have  been  three 
■widely  different  and  conflicting  views  of  the  gospel 
itself,  giving  rise  to  as  many  different  systems  within 
the  nominally  Christian  church,  each  claiming  to  be 
the  only  true  gospel.  These  are,  first,  the  sacra- 
mental system,  or  formalism,  which  makes  religion 
consist  mainly  in  externals,  the  rites  and  ceremonies 
of  worship,  and  rigid  conformity  to  ecclesiastical 
order:  secondly,  rationalism,  or  the  system  which 
makes  human  reason  the  umpire  of  all  revelation, 
rejecting  both  mysteries  and  miracles:  and  thirdly, 
the  spiritual  and  evangelical  system  of  grace,  whose 
central  truth  is  Christ  crucified  as  an  atoning  sacri- 
fice  for  sin,  and  which  attributes  everything  good  in 
man  to  a  Divine  influence. 

Now  it  is  manifest  that  only  the  last  of  these  has 
any  claim  to  be  regarded  as  the  true  gospel  of  the 
New  Testament.  Ritualism  on  the  one  side,  and 
rationalism  on  the  other,  are  but  pretenders,  claim- 
ing to  be  a  gospel  while  they  are  no  gospel.  And 
yet  many  of  the  creeds  and  systems  that  have  ap- 
peared in  the  past  history  of  the  church,  belong  to 
the  one  error  or  the  other.  In  all  ages  men  have 
been  found  subverting  the  truth  and  power  of  the 
gospel,  by  a  departure  into  formalism  on  the  one 
side  or  rationalism  on  the  other.  And  any  one, 
16 


182  THE    BEAUTY    OF   IMMANUEL. 

who  is  himself  acquainted  with  the  essential  spirit  of 
the  gospel,  can  read  the  past  history  of  the  church, 
or  survey  its  present  condition,  and  easily  assign  to  its 
proper  place  every  heresy,  and  every  sect,  and  every 
individual  opinion.  He  may  classify  them  with  all 
the  exactness  of  a  science.  For  if  not  found  with 
Paul,  glorying  in  Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified  as 
the  power  of  God  and  the  wisdom  of  God  unto  sal- 
vation, they  will  be  found  standing  in  unbelief,  with 
the  ceremony-worshipping  Jew  on  the  one  side,  or 
the  reason-worshipping  Greek  on  the  other.  If 
Christ  Jesus  be  not  exalted  to  the  throne,  as  all  in 
all.  Lord  of  the  conscience,  sovereign  of  the  church, 
and  only  Saviour  of  the  soul,  then  either  man  with 
his  boasting  reason,  or  the  church  with  her  ancient 
prescription,  will  usurp  the  throne.  The  Jew  and 
the  Greek  are  still  alive,  even  among  those  who  call 
themselves  Christians,  ever  striving  to  substitute  for 
the  true  gospel  of  God  that  which  is  another  gospel 
altogether,  and  is  therefore  no  gospel.  The  Juda- 
izing  teacher  of  the  modern  church,  forsaking  the 
true  faith  of  the  gospel,  comes  with  his  venerable 
traditions  and  church  ceremonies  to  exalt  a  ritual 
service,  a  baptismal  font,  a  wafer,  the  pope,  or  the 
virgin  mother  into  the  place  of  Christ.  The  ration- 
alistic teacher  on  the  other  hand,  in  the  very  spirit 
of  an  old  Greek,  exalts  human  reason,  or  art,  or 
man's  natural  love  of  the  sublime  and  beautiful, 
above  the  very  testimony  of  God's  word,  and  thus 


THE   SAVING   POWER   OF   HIS    GOSPEL.         l83 

baptizing  his  infidelity  with  the  name  of  Christian, 
subverts  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

It  is  obvious  to  remark  that  the  true  gospel  of 
Christ,  by  which  he  becomes  the  power  of  God  and 
the  wisdom  of  God  for  salvation  to  all  that  believe, 
stands  midway  between  these  two  extremes,  as  far 
removed  from  the  superstitious  formalism  of  the 
one,  as  from  the  sceptical  rationalism  of  the  other. 
The  true  evangelical  system  holds  this  middle  posi- 
tion, not  because  it  is  any  compromise  between  the 
antagonistic  errors,  but  because  it  stood  there  at 
the  beginning.  That  is  the  ancient  position.  The 
true  gospel  was  first  in  the  field.  And  the  other 
systems  are  but  departures  from  it.  Men  have  un- 
dertaken to  be  wise  above  what  is  written,  to  im- 
prove the  gospel  of  God  by  their  philosophies,  to 
devise  some  more  reasonable  and  acceptable  way ; 
and  the  result  in  every  case  has  been  a  departure 
from  the  truth,  either  in  the  one  direction  or  the 
other,  either  in  the  road  which  leads  through  sacra- 
mentalism  back  to  Rome,  or  in  the  road  which  leads 
through  rationalism  to  Pelagianism,  Socinianism, 
infidelity,  atheism,  and  all  the  modern  errors. 

The  unbelieving  Jew  of  old,  and  his  modern  suc- 
cessors, the  ritualists  and  the  legalists  of  every 
school,  unwilling  to  be  saved  by  Christ  alone,  and 
going  about  to  establish  their  own  righteousness,  exalt 
the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  external  worship,  and 
demand  conformity,  like  Nebuchadnezzar,  to  some 
great  idol  image  of  their  own  creation ;  and  thus 


184  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

subvert  the  gospel  by  vain  traditions  and  legal 
works.  The  unbelieving  Greek,  and  his  modern 
successors,  the  baptized  rationalists,  and  sceptics  of 
every  heretical  sect,  too  proud  to  take  the  simple 
story  of  the  cross  in  its  plain  and  obvious  import, 
rush  to  the  opposite  extreme  of  the  scale  of  error, 
and  discarding  not  only  man's  alleged  miracles, 
but  God's  also,  reduce  the  gospel  to  a  thing  of  cold, 
logical  reason,  until  there  is  nothing  Divine  left  in 
it,  not  even  the  Divinity  of  Immanuel ;  and  thus 
subvert  the  truth  by  a  philosophy,  falsely  so  called. 
It  is  not  strange,  that  when  men  can  find  no  better 
righteousness  than  their  own  to  build  upon,  they  should 
take  refuge  in  the  will-worship  and  superstitions  of 
popery,  and  kindred  forms  of  sacramentalism.  And 
it  is  not  s^'ange  that  those  who  can  find  in  the  gos- 
pel no  trace  of  Immanuel's  Divinity  or  the  Spirit's 
power,  should  obey  that  instinct  of  the  soul  which 
seeks  to  worship  something,  and  so  exalt  human 
reason,  or  philosophy,  or  nature,  to  that  throne 
which  Christ  ouo-ht  alone  to  fill.  But  it  is  strange 
that  any  human  being  with  the  Bible  in  his  hands 
should  so  mistake  both  its  letter  and  its  spirit,  as  to 
call  either  the  one  or  the  other  of  these  systems  the 
true  gospel  of  God. 

To  the  one  class  this  plain  and  simple  gospel  is 
still  a  stumbling  block,  as  it  Avas  to  the  Jews  at  the 
first ;  and  to  the  other  it  is  still  foolishness,  as  it 
was  to  the  Greek.  The  apostle  Paul  understood 
the  position  of  both  parties  as  they  stood  in  his  day, 


THE   SAVING    POWER   OF   HIS    GOSrEL.         185 

and  he  lias  virtually  anticipated  and  described  the 
position  and  character  of  their  successors,  down  to 
the  present  hour.  The  Jews  wanted  power — Divine 
miraculous  power  that  should  come  down  from  heaven 
and  consume  their  enemies.  They  longed  for  a 
temporal  kingdom  and  a  visible  throne  that  should 
dash  in  pieces  all  the  rulers  of  the  earth.  Their 
only  idea  of  the  Messiah  of  Israel  was  that  of  an- 
other David  who  should  treat  their  enemies  as  David 
treated  Goliath  of  Gath.  They  looked  for  a  deliv- 
erer who  should  come  as  a  conquering  king,  who 
should  gird  on  the  sword  of  battle,  and  adding  to 
all  the  pomp  of  earthly  grandeur,  the  supernatural 
power  of  Jehovah,  should  abide  for  ever,  and  make 
Jerusalem  at  once  the  terror  and  the  glory  of  the 
world.  And  because  Jesus  of  Nazareth  seemed 
destitute  of  all  these  outward  signs  of  power,  though 
claiming  to  be  their  Messiah,  they  rejected  his 
claims  and  put  him  to  death.  The  apostle  under- 
stood precisely  their  position  and  their  prejudices, 
for  he  had  once  shared  in  all  their  ideas  and  expec- 
tations. Brought  up  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel,  a 
Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews,  he  well  knew  the  inmost 
heart  of  the  Jew,  that  he  wanted  a  religion  of  mi- 
raculous signs,  and  a  Messiah  of  Divine,  irresistible 
power.  And  so  to  the  power-loving  Jew,  who  trod 
the  earth  with  his  eye  ever  fixed  upon  the  heavens 
for  a  sign,  and  whose  main  objection  to  the  story  of 
the  crucified  Nazarene,  was  that  it  was  a  gospel  of 
weakness,  utter  weakness  and  insufficiency  ;  to  him 
16* 


186  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

and  all  like  liim  in  every  age,  Paul  replies,  We  preach 
a  gospel  of  power,  the  mighty  power  of  God ;  we 
preach  a  gospel  of  moral,  spiritual,  and  eternal 
power ;  a  gospel  adequate  to  do  that  which  all  the 
powers  of  this  world  could  never  do,  that  is,  to  se- 
cure the  pardon  of  sin  and  save  the  soul  from  death. 
It  is  the  power  of  light  in  a  world  of  darkness;  the 
power  of  truth  in  a  world  of  error ;  the  power  of 
holiness  in  a  world  of  sin;  the  power  of  beneficence 
in  a  world  of  selfishness ;  the  power  of  love  in  a 
world  of  hatred  and  war ;  the  power  of  immortality 
in  a  world  shrouded  in  death ;  a  gospel  bringing  the 
glad  tidings  from  God  of  pardon,  peace,  and  life 
from  the  dead,  to  souls  already  sunk  in  sin,  and  led 
captive  by  the  devil  at  his  will.  We  preach  Chi'ist 
the  power  of  God,  unto  salvation,  for  every  one  that 
believeth,  whether  Jew  or  Greek. 

The  Greeks,  on  the  other  hand,  wanted  wisdom. 
They  boasted  of  learning,  art,  and  eloquence.  They 
gloried  in  philosophy.  They  longed  for  some  new 
thing.  They  had  lost  the  sceptre  of  military  power, 
and  they  had  exploded  the  myths  and  fables,  gods 
and  goddesses  of  their  once  splendid  mythology, 
the  national  religion.  They  had  become  a  nation 
of  reasoners  and  of  sceptics.  The  highest  deity 
known  to  their  philosophy  was  human  reason,  or 
nature,  or  man's  aesthetic  sense  of  the  sublime  and 
beautiful.  If  there  was  any  higher  God  in  all  the 
Pantheon,  he  was  to  them  the  "unknown  God,"  and 
belonged  solely  to  another  world.     Taught  by  their 


THE    SAVING    POWER   OF   HIS    GOSPEL.         187 

latest  philosophy  to  regard  every  thing  superhuman 
as  fabulous,  they  put  no  confidence  in  signs  and 
wonders,  and  •svere  ready  to  laugh  to  scorn  the  first 
mention  of  "Jesus  and  resurrection,"  as  the  vain 
babbling  of  an  impostor.  They  despised  the  very 
things  which  the  Jcavs  most  delighted  in.  They 
thirsted  not  for  power,  but  for  wisdom ;  not  for  old 
traditions,  but  for  some  new  thing ;  not  for  rites,  but 
for  reasons. 

The  apostle  understood  their  wants  precisely;  for 
he  was  a  native  of  Tarsus,  a  famous  seat  of  Grecian 
philosophy.  He  had  doubtless  read  the  books  and 
even  attended  the  schools  of  this  proud,  self-com- 
placent race,  which  regarded  all  men  outside  of 
Greece  and  her  colonies,  as  barbarians.  And  thus 
to  the  reasoning  Greek,  seeking  after  wisdom,  and 
to  all  like  him  in  every  age,  who  would  reject  the 
story  of  the  cross  as  foolishness,  utterly  destitute 
of  all  philosophy,  Paul  replies,  We  preach  a  gospel 
of  wisdom,  the  unsearchable  wisdom  of  God;  we 
have  not  followed  cunningly  devised  fables,  the 
product  of  a  rude  and  barbarous  age,  or  the  device 
of  men  aiming  to  impose  upon  the  world ;  but  we 
preach  that  sublime  wisdom  of  God,  which  none  of 
the  princes  of  this  world  have  ever  known,  which 
none  of  its  sages  could  have  discovered,  and  which, 
though  long  hidden  from  the  wise  and  the  prudent, 
is  now  revealed  in  Christ  to  all  the  chosen  sons  of 
God.  We  preach  Christ  the  wisdom  of  God,  the 
true  and  infallible  word  of  God,  able  to  save  unto 


188  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

the  uttermost  all  who  come  unto  God  through  him, 
■whether  Jew  or  Greek.  It  is  a  wisdom  which  can 
guide  where  all  other  teachers  fail;  a  wisdom  which 
shines  brighter  and  bi'ighter  when  every  light  of 
philosophy  goes  out  in  utter  darkness.  It  is  a  wisdom 
not  limited  like  the  boasted  wisdom  of  the  Greeks, 
to  the  narrow  bounds  of  that  which  is  but  ma- 
terial and  perishing,  but  taking  hold  of  all  that  is 
unseen,  eternal,  Divine.  It  is  the  wisdom  of  the 
rnfinite  mind — the  wisdom  of  God.  It  is  that  wis- 
dom which  comes  from  God,  and  which  alone  can 
raise  the  soul  to  God.  It  is  a  wisdom  adequate  to  fill 
all  its  high  and  noble  faculties  both  for  time  and  eter- 
nity. "  In  Christ  are  hid  all  the  treasures  of  wis- 
dom and  knoAvledge."  And  well  may  the  apostle  ex- 
claim as  he  surveys  all  the  glorious  provisions  and 
promises  of  such  a  gospel  and  such  a  Saviour,  "Oh 
the  depth  of  the  riches,  both  of  the  wisdom  and 
knowledge  of  God!" 

To  those  on  the  one  side  therefore  who  chalTeno-e 
power,  clamour  for  signs  and  wonders,  and  are  ready 
to  reject  the  gospel  as  one  of  impotence,  because 
it  comes  not  with  the  insignia  of  earthly  grandeur, 
Paul  proclaims  it  as  the  very  word  of  power,  sov- 
ereign, saving,  and  eternal  power,  as  much  greater 
than  all  human  power  demanded  by  the  Jew,  as 
God  is  stronger  than  man.  To  those  on  the  other 
side,  who  clamour  for  wisdom  and  make  their  boast 
of  philosophy,  and  would  reject  the  gospel  as  fool- 
ishness because  it  puts   no   confidence  in  the  flesh, 


THE   SAVING   POWER   OP   HIS    GOSPEL.         189 

lays  the  pride  of  human  reason  in  the  dust,  and 
abates  not  a  jot  or  tittle  of  its  high  mysteries  to  suit 
the  views  of  men,  Paul  vindicates  it  as  the  only 
true  and  saving  wisdom  in  the  world,  as  much 
greater  than  all  the  wisdom  conceived  of  by  the 
Greeks,  as  God  is  wiser  than  men. 

It  is  only  because  Christ  is  a  Divine  Saviour,  the 
power  and  wisdom  of  God  unto  salvation,  that  the 
gospel  is  what  it  is,  the  antidote  for  sin  and  the 
hope  of  a  ruined  world.  This  great  mystery  of 
godliness  is  its  glory.  This  has  enabled  it  to  stand 
fast  and  hold  its  ground,  amid  all  the  errors  and 
conflicts  of  the  eighteen  centuries  which  have  passed 
since  its  fiirst  promulgation  at  Jerusalem.  This  has 
given  it  power  to  surmount  all  opposing  forces,  the 
persecutions  of  its  enemies,  and  the  treachery  of 
professing  friends,  and  to  press  its  conquering  way 
from  nation  to  nation,  from  age  to  age.  Had  the 
gospel  been  what  men  have  striven  so  hard  to  prove 
it,  a  mere  routine  of  outward  ceremonies  on  the  one 
hand,  or  a  mere  string  of  abstract  propositions 
commending  themselves  to  human  taste  on  the 
other,  what  more  could  it  have  done  for  the  world 
than  Jewish  tradition  or  Grecian  philosophy  did  ? 
Had  it  been  nothing  more  than  these  it  would  long 
ago  have  perished,  even  as  these  have  done.  But 
it  has  had  a  vitality  Avhich  earth  and  hell  have  not 
been  able  to  crush ;  and  the  secret  of  this  inde- 
structible life  is,  that  it  reveals  Christ  as  the  power 
and  wisdom  of  God  unto  salvation. 


190  THE   BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

And  yet,  strange  to  say,  tliongli  all  intelligent 
readex's  of  the  New  Testament,  who  take  words  in 
their  obvious  import,  will  be  ready  to  acknowledge 
the  justness  of  this  view  of  the  case ;  still  almost 
every  man  who  hears  the  story  of  Christ  and 
him  crucified,  and  does  not  embrace  him  with  a  sav- 
ing faith,  will  be  found  occupying  one  or  the  other 
of  these  old  positions.  He  either  stands  where  the 
Jew  stood,  or  where  the  Greek  stood ;  and  it  would 
be  difficult  to  say  which  side  can  count  the  larger 
number,  and  which  position  is  the  more  dangerous. 
Why  does  not  Christ  become  a  Saviour,  believed, 
accepted,  and  loved,  to  that  large  class  of  persons 
in  every  Christian  land,  who  hear  the  gospel 
preached,  who  read  the  Scriptures,  who  assent  to 
the  truth,  who  approve  the  truth,  and  even  profess 
to  admire  it?  Why  are  they  still  out  of  Christ? 
Why  are  they  yet  unbelievers  as'  to  any  real,  per- 
sonal, saving  trust  in  him  ?  They  do  not  intend  to 
live  and  die  without  a  saving  acquaintance  with  the 
gospel ;  and  yet  they  do  virtually  continue  in  unbe- 
lief, rejecting  Christ  as  their  Saviour.  For  Avhat 
are  such  hearers  of  the  gospel  waiting?  What  are 
they  expecting? 

If  such  men  will  examine  their  hearts  with  can- 
dour and  honesty,  they  will  find  that  they  are  either 
like  the  Jew,  waiting  for  some  more  wonderful  way, 
or  like  the  Greek,  for  some  more  reasonable  way. 
They  are  either  in  the  one  class  or  the  other,  look- 
ing for  more  signs  and  wonders,  before  they  will 


THE   SAVING    POWER   OF   IIIS   GOSPEL.         191 

believe,  or  for  something  in  the  Avay  of  a  more  con- 
vincing logic,  in  order  to  make  them  believe.  They 
have  an  idea  that  the  fault  is  not  in  themselves,  but 
in  the  gospel ;  in  some  want  either  of  supernatural 
and  ovei'powering  attestation  before  their  eyes,  or 
of  rational  and  convincing  argument  upon  their 
minds. 

Some,  no  doubt,  flatter  themselves  that  they  will 
yet  be  Christians  at  a  more  convenient  season.  But 
they  are  waiting  for  more  signal  manifestations  of 
God's  power.  They  are  not  satisfied  to  take  things 
just  as  God  has  revealed  them  in  the  gospel,  and  as 
thousands  of  others  have  had  to  take  them.  They 
demand  something  peculiar  and  extraordinary — ■ 
some  dream  or  vision  of  the  night — something  grand 
and  overwhelming.  Their  case  they  think  is  unusual ; 
and  it  will  take  something  more  than  common  to  sat- 
isfy  their  minds.  They  want  a  demonstration  which 
is  tangible,  positive,  decisive ;  which  shall  flash  con- 
viction through  the  very  senses,  and  put  the  matter 
of  salvation  beyond  all  question  for  ever.  They  would 
like  to  have  a  miracle  to  make  the  Bible  plainer,  and 
to  prove  that  all  the  other  miracles  are  from  God. 
They  would  believe,  they  think,  if  one  should  rise 
from  the  dead.  They  want  the  kingdom  of  God  to 
come  into  their  hearts  with  observation,  with  some- 
what of  the  same  outward  pomp  and  parade  with  which 
the  Jews  wished  to  see  their  Messiah  come  into  the 
world.  Like  Naaman  the  Syrian,  they  think  they 
ought  to   be   healed   in   a  wonderful  v/ay ;  that  the 


192  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

prophet  ought  to  come  out,  and  stand  before  the 
chariot,  and  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  his 
God,  and  strike  his  hand  over  the  place,  and  thus 
recover  the  leper.  In  a  word,  they  have  the  very 
spirit  of  the  Jew;  demanding  a  sign  from  heaven, 
dictating  terms  to  God,  and  thus  seeking  to  estab- 
lish their  own  righteousness.  And  what  does  God 
say  to  all  such?  "A  wicked  and  adulterous  genera- 
tion seeketh  after  a  sign,  and  there  shall  be  no  sign 
given  them,  save  those  already  given.  If  they  be- 
lieve not  Moses  and  the  prophets,  neither  will  they 
be  persuaded  though  one  rose  from  the  dead.  Be- 
hold, ye  despisers,  and  wonder  and  perish.  If  ye 
believe  not  that  I  am  he,  ye  shall  die  in  your  sins." 
Some  again  are  standing  on  the  opposite  extreme. 
They  desire  nothing  of  this  sort.  They  have  no 
relish  for  mysteries  and  marvels  in  religion.  They 
are  not  waiting  for  more  signs,  but  for  something 
to  solve  the  problem  of  those  already  given.  With 
them  the  great  difficulty,  preventing,  as  they  think, 
a  cordial  reception  of  Christ,  is  that  the  gospel  is 
too  full  of  hard  sayings,  mysterious,  incomprehen- 
sible doctrines,  which  do  not  suit  their  natural  taste, 
or  their  logical  reason,  or  their  nice,  poetic  sense  of 
justice,  or  their  admiring  perception  of  the  sublime 
and  beautiful.  The  gospel  is  not  that  rational,  in- 
telligible, all-merciful,  and  beautiful  system  which 
they  think  it  ought  to  be.  They  are  doubtful  and 
incredulous  as  to  a  thousand  difficult  points  which 
they  would   like  to  have  cleared  up:  and  they  are 


THE   SAVING    POWER    OF   HIS    GOSPEL.         193 

waiting  for  some  more  reasonable  way,  or  some  more 
convincing  argument  than  they  have  yet  seen,  be- 
fore they  can  take  up  the  cross  and  follow  Jesus. 
In  short,  they  are  Greeks  in  spirit;  ready  to  reject 
the  wisdom  of  God  as  foolishness,  because  it  is  so 
different  from  the  philosophy  of  man;  and  waiting 
for  some  new  light,  and  for  some  auspicious  hour, 
when  the  skies  shall  be  all  clear,  and  the  problems 
all  solved,  and  the  gospel  shall  become  a  system 
level  to  the  calibre  of  a  finite  mind!  Then  they 
will  believe!  But  that  hour  Avill  not  come,  that 
light  will  not  be  given.  For  this  is  virtually  to 
reject  God's  testimony,  and  to  exalt  human  reason 
to  that  throne  which  belongs  to  him  alone.  This  is 
to  be  wise  above  what  is  written  in  things  where 
none  but  God  can  teach  man  wisdom.  And  what 
does  Christ  say  to  this  self-righteous  and  exacting 
spirit  Avhich  strives  for  the  mastery  when  it  should 
only  believe  and  adore?  "Except  ye  be  converted 
and  become  as  a  little  child,  ye  shall  in  no  wise 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  If  our  gospel 
be  hid,  it  is  hid  to  them  that  are  lost;  in  whom  the 
god  of  this  world  hath  blinded  the  eyes  of  them 
which  believe  not,  lest  the  light  of  the  glorious  gos- 
pel of  Christ,  who  is  the  image  of  God,  should 
shine  unto  them." 

The  spirit  of  the  true  believer,  equally  removed 
from  the  arrogance  of  the  Jew  and  the  pride  of  the 
Greek,  is  that  of  a  learner  and  a  child,  sitting  at 
the  feet  of  Immanuel.     Of  such  is  the  kingdom  of 


194  THE   BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

heaven.  The  true  believer  takes  God's  testimony 
as  it  is,  accredits  it  as  true,  the  very  truth  of  truth, 
approves  it  not  only  as  true,  but  as  right  and  good, 
receives  and  rests  upon  it  as  the  only  and  all-suffi- 
cient salvation,  embraces  and  glories  in  Immanuel 
as  the  chiefest  among  ten  thousand  and  altogether 
lovely,  takes  up  the  cross  and  follows  him  through 
evil  and  through  good  report,  as  all  in  all,  for  time 
and  for  eternity.  He  asks  for  no  other  Saviour ;  he 
needs  no  other;  he  can  depend  on  no  other:  he  is 
perfectly  satisfied  with  the  gospel  as  it  is ;  in  life, 
in  death,  and  through  eternity,  he  is  willing  to  fall 
at  Immanuel's  feet,  to  crown  him  Lord  of  all,  and 
to  cry,  as  believing  Thomas  did,  "My  Lord  and  my 
God!" 


RECAPITULATION  AND    CONCLUSION.  195 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

RECAPITULATION   AND    CONCLUSION. 

But  here  we  pause ;  not  because  we  have  reached 
the  end,  but  because  what  we  have  said  may,  at 
least,  suffice  to  turn  the  reader's  thoughts  to  that 
revelation  of  Immanuel's  beauty,  which  is  contained 
in  the  sacred  word.  "  His  name  shall  be  called  Won- 
derful," said  the  inspired  prophet.  His  person  is 
wonderful ;  his  character  is  wonderful ;  his  life  and 
death  were  wonderful ;  his  work  was  wonderful ;  his 
gospel  is  wonderful ;  his  first  coming  was  wonderful ; 
his  second  shall  be  more  so  ;  everything  connected 
with  him  is  wonderful  and  glorious.  It  is  a  bound- 
less theme.  It  has  to  man  a  deathless  interest ;  for 
it  is  that  which  alone  brings  life  and  hope  to  a  dying 
world.  In  him — in  his  person,  character,  and 
kingdom — are  hid  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and 
knowledge.  Whatever  other  treasures  of  power, 
wealth,  or  wisdom,  a  man  may  gain,  not  to  know 
this  wisdom  is  to  be  a  fool  indeed,  not  to  gain  this 
unsearchable  treasure  is  to  be  poor  for  ever. 

And  now  this  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God,  with  all 
its  unspeakable  blessings,  is  committed  to  us,  not 
only  to  be  embraced  as  our  life  and  the  life  of  our 


196  THE   BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

children,  but  to  be  made  known  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth,  to  be  spread  abroad  to  the  farthest  nations, 
to   be  preached   to   every   creature   under  heaven. 
"Till  I  come,"  is  the  only  termination  of  the  work, 
the  only  limit  of  the  great  commission.     This  is  the 
one  grand  mission  and  work  of  the  blood-bought 
church  of  Christ — to  preach  his  gospel.     The  field 
is  the  world.     And  the  day  of  labour  is  from  the 
first  to  the  second  advent.     He  has  himself  con- 
nected these  two  great  events  in  such  a  way  that 
the  church  can  never  forget  the  one,  or  lose  sight 
of  the  other.     "As  oft  as  ye  eat  this  bread  and 
drink  this  cup,  ye  do  show  the  Lord's  death  till  he 
come."     Here  all  that  is  sacred  in  the  past  blends 
with  all  that  is  glorious  in  the  future.     We  must 
remember  him,  must  love  him,  must  celebrate  his 
death,  must  preach  his  gospel,  must  labour,  and 
toil,  and  suffer,  and  watch,  and  pray,  till  he  come. 
For  surely  he  shall  come.     As  surely  as  he  died 
and  rose  again,  he  shall  come.     Now  we  see  through 
a  glass  darkly.     Now  we  know  in  part  and  we  un- 
derstand in  part.     But  then  we  shall  see  face  to 
face,  and  know  even  as  we  are  known.     We  know 
not  yet  what  we  shall  be  ;   but  we  know  that  Avhen 
he   shall   appear  we  shall   be   like   him.      Our  vile 
bodies  shall  be  fashioned  like  unto  his  glorious  body. 
Our  life  is  hid  Avith  Christ  in  God,  so  that  when  he 
shall   appear,  we  shall   appear  with  him  in  glory. 
This  is  our  hope,  this  our  confident   and  joyful  ex- 
pectation.    "  To  you,"  says  the  apostle,  "  who  are 


RECAPITULATION   AND    CONCLUSION.  197 

troubled,  rest  with  us  in  hope,  when  the  Lord  Jesus 
shall  be  revealed  from  heaven,  with  his  mighty 
angels,  in  flaming  fire,  taking  vengeance  on  them 
that  know  not  God,  and  that  obey  not  the  gospel 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  who  shall  be  punished 
with  everlasting  destruction  from  the  presence  of 
the  Lord,  and  from  the  glory  of  his  power ;  when 
he  shall  come  to  be  glorified  in  his  saints,  and  to  be 
admired  in  all  them  that  believe." 

In  the  person  and  character  of  Immanuel,  we  are 
to  remember,  God  has  made  the  brightest  manifesta- 
tion of  himself.  "No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any 
time ;  the  only  begotten  Son  who  is  in  the  bosom 
of  the  Father,  he  hath  declared  him."  "He  that 
hath  seen  me,"  said  Jesus,  "  hath  seen  the  Father." 
We  know  the  heart  of  God  even  as  we  know  the 
heart  of  Jesus.  We  become  acquainted  with  the 
character  of  God,  as  we  become  personally  ac- 
quainted with  the  character  of  Jesus.  "  For  God 
who  commanded  the  light  to  shine  out  of  darkness, 
hath  shined  in  our  hearts,  to  give  the  light  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus 
Christ."  There  are  various  methods  in  which  God 
has  manifested  his  character  and  glory  to  his  intel- 
ligent, moral  creatures  ;  and  there  are  manifold 
channels  through  which  this  glory  shines.  He  has 
revealed  himself  everywhere  in  nature,  every  work 
of  his  almighty  hand  proclaiming  his  glory.  He 
has  revealed   himself  in  providence,   every  event, 

great  and  small,  uttering  an  intelligible  voice.     He 
17  * 


198  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

has  revealed  himself  in  every  page  of  his  written 
and  inspired  oracles — the  holy  Scriptures.  He  has 
revealed  himself  also  in  the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
upon  the  regenerated  human  soul ;  and,  indeed,  in 
all  the  deep  instincts  and  utterances  of  the  soul  it- 
self. But,  above  all  other  manifestations  is  this 
glorious  manifestation  of  the  word  made  flesh. 
For  here  it  is  that  we  behold  the  essence  of  all  Di- 
vine knowledge  and  perfection — infinite  wisdom, 
goodness,  truth,  beauty,  and  love,  personified,  em- 
bodied, exemplified  in  the  character  of  a  living  man 
like  ourselves,  in  all  points  tempted  as  we  are,  yet 
without  sin.  This  is  the  manifestation  of  God  which 
comes  nearest  to  our  bosoms,  and  is  most  easily  un- 
derstood by  us. 

We  learn  something  of  God  in  every  manifesta- 
tion he  has  made  of  himself.  Day  unto  day  utter- 
eth  speech  of  him ;  night  unto  night  showeth  know- 
ledge. There  is  no  speech  nor  language  where  his 
voice  is  not  heard.  The  signs  of  his  eternal  power 
and  Godhead  overspread  the  heavens.  His  glory 
fills  the  earth.  His  stately  stoppings  are  seen  in 
the  great  waters.  His  wisdom  shines  in  every  star 
that  gems  the  firmament.  His  mighty  acts  are 
visible  in  all  the  movements  of  his  providence.  His 
justice,  holiness,  and  truth  are  proclaimed  from 
every  line  of  his  word.  The  thunders  of  his  law, 
the  beseeching  overtures  of  his  gospel,  the  gentle, 
yet  irresistible,  pleadings  of  his  gracious  Spirit — 
all  alike  make  known  to  man  something  of  the  deep 


RECAPITULATION    AND    CONCLUSION.  199 

things  of  God.  But  it  is  in  Immanuel,  most  of  all, 
that  the  soul  of  man  finds  the  clear  light  of  God. 
He  ahove  all  others  is  the  waj,  and  the  truth,  and 
the  life. 

"  Till  God  in  human  flesh  I  see, 

My  thoughts  no  comfort  find  ; 
The  holy,  just,  and  sacred  Three 

Are  terrors  to  my  mind. 
But  if  Immanuel's  face  appear 

My  hope,  my  joy  begins  ; 
His  name  forbids  my  slavish  fear, 

His  grace  removes  my  sins." 

Ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  guilty,  helpless, 
dying  sinners  in  all  ages,  have  been  led  to  admire 
the  beauty  of  Immanuel,  as  they  have  seen  him  to 
be  the  only  and  all-sufficient  Saviour,  both  able  and 
■willing  to  give  them  that  succour  which  no  other 
being  in  the  universe  could  ever  give.  As  they 
have  found  in  him  a  friend  and  a  helper  just  suited 
to  their  lost  estate — the  sacrifice  for  all  their  sins, 
the  supply  of  all  their  wants,  the  antidote  to  all 
their  woes,  the  Prophet,  Priest,  King,  and  Captain 
of  their  salvation,  they  have  been  made  to  rejoice 
with  a  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory.  For  all 
the  manifestations  of  God's  character,  however 
made,  and  for  all  the  gifts  of  his  grace,  however 
communicated,  we  ought  to  be  profoundly  grateful. 
But  for  the  gift  of  his  Son — for  the  manifestation 
of  his  amazing  love  in  Christ,  how  can  we  ever  suf- 
ficiently praise  him  I     Where  shall  we  find  words  to 


200  THE   BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

express,  or  images  to  shadow  forth,  our  conception 
of  the  debt  of  gratitude  which  we  owe  to  God  for 
such  a  Saviour !  We  can  only  take  the  language 
of  an  apostle  and  cry — "  Thanks  be  unto  God  for 
his  unspeakable  gift." 

When  we  consider  what  Jesus  hath  done  for  us — 
how  he  left  the  bright  abodes  of  glory  and  stooped 
to  our  lost  estate — how  he  hath  borne  our  griefs  and 
carried  our  sorrows  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree — 
how  he  endured  all  that  men  and  demons  could  in- 
flict while  drinking  for  us  the  wrath  of  God — how 
he  hath  taken  our  feet  from  an  horrible  pit  and  from 
the  miry  clay,  and  placed  them  upon  the  rock  of 
ages,  and  put  a  new  song  into  our  mouths,  even  the 
song  of  praise  for  his  delivering  grace — how  he 
hath  made  us,  who  were  by  nature  the  children  of 
wrath  and  heirs  of  death,  the  children  of  adoption, 
sons  and  daughters  of  the  Lord  Almighty,  heirs  of 
God,  and  joint  heirs  with  himself  to  an  inheritance 
which  is  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth 
not  away,  reserved  in  heaven  for  all  them  that  be- 
lieve, we  can  only  fall  in  adoring  homage  at  his  feet, 
and  cry,  "  Thanks  be  to  God  for  his  unspeakable 
gift." 

When  we  think  of  life  here,  as  it  is  to  some,  and 
as  it  would  be  to  us,  without  him — the  loneliness, 
desolation,  and  darkness  of  a  life  without  hope  and 
without  God  in  the  world ;  when  we  think  how  we 
should  feel  and  act,  with  every  light  of  the  gospel 
and  every  hope  of  heaven  for  ever  extinguished  in 


RECAPITULATION    AND    CONCLUSION.  201 

our  souls ;  when  the  friends  of  our  youth  have  all 
fallen  around  us ;  when  the  dearest  objects  of  our 
human  affections  are  sleeping  in  the  ground ;  when 
all  our  bodily  powers  give  token  of  approaching 
decay  and  dissolution,  and  the  storms  of  adversity 
are  beating  upon  our  souls  ;  when  our  days  are  all 
sunless,  and  our  nights  without  a  star,  and  there 
seems  nothing  before  us  but  the  blackness  of  death 
— unending  death — Oh  !  when  we  think  of  such  a 
condition  as  this — the  condition  of  the  unbelieving 
sceptic,  who  cares  nothing  for  Jesus,  and  then  think 
of  all  that  he  has  done  for  us,  and  of  the  glory 
which  yet  awaits  us,  we  cry  with  adoring  and  admiring 
homage,  "Thanks  be  to  God  for  his  unspeakable 
gift!" 

When,  as  God's  suffering  children,  we  pass 
through  many  a  dark  valley  of  humiliation  on  life's 
weary  pilgrimage  ;  when  we  are  compelled  to  eat  the 
bread  of  carefulness,  to  drink  the  cup  of  tears,  to 
wrestle  with  gloomy  doubts  and  fears,  to  feel  that 
the  deep  waters  are  ready  to  engulf  us  ;  when  all 
our  plans  of  life  seem  to  fail,  our  best  purposes  to 
be  defeated,  our  fondest  hopes  to  be  utterly  crushed 
and  blasted ;  when  all  our  enemies  have  risen  up 
against  us ;  when  the  world  has  cheated  us,  friends 
and  kindred  have  forsaken  us,  and  the  very  church 
and  people  of  God  deceived  us;  when  our  very  heart- 
strings are  breaking  for  sorrow,  and  there  seems 
nothing  left  for  us  but  to  lie  down  and  die — wretched, 
poor,  despised,  forsaken,  tired  of  the  world,  and  yet 


202  THE   BEAUTY   OF   IMMANUEL. 

feeling  unfit  for  heaven — counting  all  men  liars,  and 
yet  unable  to  look  up  lovingly  and  confidingly  into 
the  face  of  God — Oh !  in  such  an  hour  of  tempta- 
tion and  despondency,  what  a  voice  of  consolation 
is  that  which  comes  to  us  from  the  lips  of  Jesus,  as 
we  open  again  the  sacred  pages,  and,  with  streaming 
eyes,  read  those  calm,  tender,  soul-subduing,  and  un- 
fathomable words,  "Ye  believe  in  God;  believe  also 
in  me  !  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions  ; 
if  it  were  not  so,  I  would  have  told  you ;  I  go  to 
prepare  a  place  for  you.  And  if  I  go  and  prepare 
a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  again,  and  receive  you 
unto  myself,  that  where  I  am  there  ye  may  be  also." 
And  then,  if  never  before,  we  cry,  with  chastened, 
humble,  loving  hearts,  "  Thanks  be  unto  God  for  his 
unspeakable  gift !" 

"  For  such  compassions,  O  my  God, 
Ten  thousand  thanks  are  due — 
Por  such  compassions,  I  esteem 
Ten  thousand  thanks  too  few." 

And  when,  at  last,  we  look  forward  to  the  time 
of  our  departure  from  this  mortal  scene,  and  are 
called  to  pass  through  the  dark  valley  and  shadow 
of  death  ;  when  our  earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle 
is  about  to  be  dissolved,  and  we  feel  that  with  every 
heaving  breath  and  every  ebbing  pulse  we  are  but 
drawing  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  presence  of  God ; 
when  we  feel  that  in  the  lone  and  untried  valley 
we  need  a  guide  and  a  comforter,  a  rod  and  a  staff 


RECAPITULATION    AND    CONCLUSION.  203 

to  support  our  trembling  footsteps,  a  friendly  bosom 
on  which  to  lean  the  weary  head,  an  Almighty  arm 
to  protect  us,  and  a  voice  of  love  to  cheer  us  and 
bid  us  fear  no  evil — where  then  shall  we  find  the 
guide  and  comforter  of  our  souls  ?  Who  but  Im- 
manuel  can  be  with  us  then,  go  with  us  through  all 
the  darkness  of  death,  and  bid  us  welcome  to  the 
fields  of  immortality,  when  it  is  passed  ?  When  we 
feel,  as  we  must  all  soon  feel,  that  the  only  guide 
and  counsellor  through  this  dread  passage,  is  Jesus ; 
that  the  only  rod  and  staff  to  comfort  us  there,  the 
only  loving  bosom  on  which  we  can  lean  our  dying 
heads,  and  the  only  friendly  voice  which  can  come 
to  cheer  us,  is  that  of  Jesus  who  hath  trodden  it  be- 
fore us,  well  may  we  cry,  "Thanks  be  to  God! — 
Glory  be  to  God  in  the  highest  for  this  unspeakable 
gift !  Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  who,  according  to  his  abundant  mercy, 
hath  begotten  us  again  to  a  lively  hope,  by  the  re- 
surrection of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead." 

God  with  us  !  God  incarnate  !  God  our  Saviour, 
Brother,  Lord !  How  it  should  elevate  our  thoughts, 
how  it  should  kindle  our  devotions,  how  it  should 
bind  our  hearts  in  holy  love  to  contemplate  the 
great  and  blessed  mystery  of  God  manifest  in  the 
flesh !  that  God  has  been  with  us,  and  that  we  shall 
be  with  him  for  ever,  he  in  our  nature,  and  we 
through  him  made  partakers  of  the  Divine  nature ! 
What  more  could  God  do  for  us  ?  What  more  do 
we  need  in  order  that  Christ  should  win  our  hearts  ? 


204  THE    BEAUTY    OF    IMMANUEL. 

When  we  think  of  the  loved  ones,  who  were  so 
recently  with  us,  who  have  left  the  church  below 
and  gone  up  to  the  general  assembly  and  church  of 
the  first-born,  having  washed  their  robes  and  made 
them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb — when  we  look 
around  upon  our  broken  family  circles,  and  feel  that 
those  with  whom  we  took  sweet  counsel  here,  are 
now  in  the  presence  of  Jesus,  beholding  his  glory 
face  to  face — when  we  think  of  all  those  venerable 
and  honoured  names,  whose  praises  were  in  all  the 
church  beloAV,  and  whose  toil-Avorn  but  happy  spirits 
have  passed  away,  even  during  the  last  year,  to  join 
the  ranks  and  to  swell  the  chorus  of  the  redeemed 
on  high — when  we  think  that  these  with  the  saints 
of  all  ages  are  now  with  Jesus,  and  that  we  also, 
after  a  few  more  years  of  toil  and  sorrow,  shall  join 
their  blessed  company,  to  part  no  more  for  ever; 
how  should  our  hearts  burn  within  us,  as  we  tell  of 
Immanucl's  love,  of  all  that  we  owe  to  him,  and  of 
all  that  we  hope  to  be ! 

Here  then  let  us  come,  even  to  the  cross  of  Im- 
manuel;  here  let  us  find  rest  in  a  sense  of  his  love ; 
here  let  us  admire  and  adore,  as,  for  time  and  eter- 
nity, we  commit  our  souls  to  his  keeping. 


in 


BS2420.H196 

The  beauty  of  Immanuel. 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00013  0361 


